Facheiroa phaeacantha

Facheiroa phaeacantha is a species of Facheiroa found in Brazil.^[1]

Facheiroa phaeacantha
Conservation status
Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Cactaceae
Subfamily:	Cactoideae
Genus:	Facheiroa
Species:	F. phaeacantha
Binomial name
Facheiroa phaeacantha (Gürke) N.P.Taylor
Synonyms
Brasilicereus phaeacanthus (Gürke) Backeberg Cephalocereus phaeacanthus (Gürke) Britton & Rose 1920 Cereus phaeacanthus Gürke 1908 Pilocereus phaeacanthus (Gürke) Backeb. 1936 Brasilicereus breviflorus F.Ritter 1979 Brasilicereus phaeacanthus subsp. breviflorus (F.Ritter) P.J.Braun & Esteves 1995 Cereus phaeacanthus var. breviflorus (F.Ritter) P.J.Braun 1988 Pilocereus verheinei Rümpler 1885

Description

Facheiroa phaeacantha typically grows with shoots that branch from the base, standing upright but sometimes leaning or climbing. The shoots are 4 to 9 centimeters in diameter and can reach up to 4 meters in height. The plant has 8 to 13 low, narrow ribs covered with whitish wool in the areoles. It features 1 to 3 yellowish-brown central spines up to 3 centimeters long and 10 to 12 yellowish marginal spines between 10 and 15 millimeters long. The flowers are whitish green to greenish, up to 6.5 centimeters long, and 6 centimeters in diameter, with a slightly curved flower tube. The slightly bumpy fruits can reach a diameter of up to 1.5 centimeters.^[2]

Distribution

Facheiroa phaeacantha is native to the Brazilian state of Bahia.^[3]

Taxonomy

It was first described as Cereus phaeacanthus by Max Gürke in 1908.^[4] The specific epithet phaeacanthus derives from the Greek words phaios (gray) and akanthos (thorn), referring to the plant's thorniness. Curt Backeberg reclassified it into the genus Brasilicereus in 1942.^[4] Then, it was reclassified to Facheiroa.