Badmin: Created page with "{{Taxobox | name = Strophocactus | image = Strophocactus_wittii.jpg | kingdom = Plantae | family = Cactaceae | subfamily = Cactoideae | tribe = Phyllocacteae | subtribe = Echinocereinae | genus = '''Strophocactus''' | authority = Britton & Rose (1913) | notes = Taxonomy follows Joël Lodé (2015) with reference to Bauer (2003), Nyffeler & Eggli (2010), and Hunt et al. (2006). }} == Etymology == The name means "wrapped cactus", referring to species th..."

2026-04-22T15:37:50Z

Created page with "{{Taxobox | name = Strophocactus | image = Strophocactus_wittii.jpg | kingdom = Plantae | family = Cactaceae | subfamily = Cactoideae | tribe = Phyllocacteae | subtribe = Echinocereinae | genus = '''Strophocactus''' | authority = Britton & Rose (1913) | notes = Taxonomy follows Joël Lodé (2015) with reference to Bauer (2003), Nyffeler & Eggli (2010), and Hunt et al. (2006). }} == Etymology == The name means "wrapped cactus", referring to species th..."

New page

{{Taxobox
| name = Strophocactus
| image = Strophocactus_wittii.jpg
| kingdom = [[Plantae]]
| family = [[Cactaceae]]
| subfamily = [[Cactoideae]]
| tribe = [[Phyllocacteae]]
| subtribe = [[Echinocereinae]]
| genus = '''Strophocactus'''
| authority = Britton & Rose (1913)
| notes = Taxonomy follows Joël Lodé (2015) with reference to Bauer (2003), Nyffeler & Eggli (2010), and Hunt et al. (2006).
}}

== Etymology ==
The name means "wrapped cactus", referring to species that cling to and wrap around trees.

== Description ==
'''Strophocactus''' is a genus of epiphytic or epilithic, climbing cacti with highly specialized adaptations.

* '''Habit''': Climbing or pendulous; epiphytic or epilithic.
* '''Growth form''': Polymorphic; stems appressed to substrates.
* '''Stems''': Segmented; flattened or angled; often adhering to trunks, branches, or rocks.
* '''Roots''': Aerial roots used for attachment.
* '''Areoles''': Woolly; bearing strong spines.
* '''Flowers''': Nocturnal; self-sterile; strongly fragrant to unpleasant.
* '''Flower shape''': Funnel-shaped with very long floral tube.
* '''Flower color''': Pure white.
* '''Floral structures''': Tube scaly and hairy.
* '''Pollination''': By sphingid moths (Sphingidae).
* '''Fruits''': Globose; spiny; yellow, greenish or red; with persistent perianth remains.
* '''Seeds''': Obovoid; light brown; smooth; sometimes with air-filled structures for flotation.
* '''Seed dispersal''': By water (hydrochory), especially in flood-prone habitats.

== Habitat ==
Occurs in humid tropical environments:

* rainforests and riverine systems
* swampy or seasonally flooded areas
* mangroves and riparian vegetation
* rocky substrates in humid zones

Altitude range: from sea level up to ~1100 m.

== Distribution ==
Central and South America:

* Mexico (multiple states)
* Central America (Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Panama)
* South America (Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru)

== Taxonomy ==
A genus with complex redefinition based on molecular and morphological data.

Key points:

* Originally included species from ''Selenicereus'', ''Disocactus'', ''Nyctocereus'', and ''Deamia''
* Bauer (2003): reassigned several taxa to ''Strophocactus''
* Molecular studies (Nyffeler & Eggli, 2010) support placement in Echinocereinae
* ''Cryptocereus anthonyanus'' excluded as separate genus
* Some species show significant morphological divergence, suggesting possible future reclassification

The genus is accepted as distinct in Lodé (2015).

== Species ==
According to Joël Lodé (2015):

* [[Strophocactus chontalensis]]
* [[Strophocactus testudo]]
* [[Strophocactus wittii]]

== Notes ==
* Includes one of the very few myrmecophilous cacti (''S. testudo''), hosting ant colonies.
* ''S. wittii'' adapted to flooded environments; seeds capable of floating.
* Represents extreme ecological specialization within Cactaceae.
* Strong example of convergence with other epiphytic plant families.
* May represent multiple evolutionary lineages within current circumscription.

[[Category:Cactaceae]]
[[Category:Cactoideae]]
[[Category:Phyllocacteae]]
[[Category:Echinocereinae]]
[[Category:Strophocactus]]

Strophocactus - Revision history