Stenocereus griseus

Stenocereus griseus, also known as the Mexican organ pipe, dagger cactus, pitaya, and pitayo de mayo, is a species of cactus.^[3]

Stenocereus griseus
S. griseus in Arashi Bay Coast Noord, Aruba
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Cactaceae
Subfamily:	Cactoideae
Genus:	Stenocereus
Species:	S. griseus
Binomial name
Stenocereus griseus (Haw.) Buxb.
Synonyms [2]
Stenocereus eburneus Lemaireocereus eburneus Ritterocereus deficiens Lemaireocereus deficiens Cereus deficiens Stenocereus victoriensis Neolemaireocereus griseus Ritterocereus griseus Cereus griseus Lemaireocereus griseus Cereus eburneus

Description

Stenocereus griseus is a tree-shaped cactus that grows to 6-9 meters tall with a clear trunk and upright green stems, about 9-12 centimeters in diameter, with six to ten ribs below the areoles.^[2] It bears one to three central spines up to 1.5 centimeters long, the longest of which reaches 4 centimeters, and six to eleven marginal spines measuring 6-10 millimeters long.

This species produces white, funnel-shaped flowers that bloom at night and last until midday, with bent-back flower bracts. The flowers are about 10 centimeters long. Its spherical to elongated fruits are white, yellowish green, to red or dark purple, up to 5 centimeters in diameter, and covered with thorns that shed when ripe. The flesh is red.^[4]

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  Habit
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  Flower
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  Branch
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  spine
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  seedling
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  Stenocereus griseus fence in Santa Cruz Aruba

Distribution

This species is found in Mexico in Oaxaca and Veracruz,^[2] coastal Venezuela, Guajira Peninsula of Colombia and the ABC islands of the Dutch Caribbean.^[5] It is found in scrub-lands.^[1] Observations of this species have also been reported in the dry scrub-lands at the base of the Eastern Cordillera of the Colombian Andes. However it has not been collected in this region.^[6] In the Caribbean islands of Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire, this cactus blooms and fruits profusely during the dry season. It is a critical resource for bats, birds and other animals.^[1]

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  Stenocereus griseus habitat in Arashi Bay Coast, Noord Aruba
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  Stenocereus Griseus growing in habitat in Noord Aruba

Human uses

Its fruit is edible to humans and is considered good tasting. It is planted as an ornamental and as a living fence in warm regions.^[1][7] When used as a fence, it can be impervious to animals due to its spiny nature.^[7]

Taxonomy

First described as Cereus griseus in 1812 by Adrian Hardy Haworth, the species was later placed in the genus Stenocereus by Franz Buxbaum in 1961.^[8] The specific epithet "griseus" derives from Latin, meaning 'gray,' in reference to the thorns of the species. The species is found in CITES Appendix II as a species of Least Concern. Its population is considered stable.^[1]