Hylocereus undatus

(Haworth) Britton & Rose in N. L. Britton

in N. L. Britton, Fl. Bermuda, 256. 1918.

Common names: Night-blooming cere us
IntroducedIllustrated
Basionym: Cereus undatus Haworth Philos. Mag. Ann. Chem. 7: 110. 1830
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 4. Treatment on page 175. Mentioned on page 176.

Plants sprawling or clambering over rocks, shrubs, and trees. Stems usually sharply 3-angled, to 500+ × 4–7.5 cm; ribs with undulate margins and gray, hornlike bark; areoles 2 mm diam. Spines 1–4 per areole, brownish gray, inconspicuous. Flowers fragrant; outer tepals white, outermost strongly reflexed, midstripes yellowish green; inner tepals white, broad, oblanceolate; filaments 50–75 mm; style cream, 175–200 mm. Fruits spheric to oblong. Seeds 2 × 1 mm. 2n = 22.


Phenology: Flowering year-round.
Habitat: Disturbed sites in sandy soils [tropical deciduous and semideciduous forests]
Elevation: 0-50 m

Distribution

V4 335-distribution-map.gif

Introduced; Fla., Mexico, West Indies, Central America, n South America

Discussion

Hylocereus undatus is sporadically naturalized in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide where it is cultivated for its large, edible fruits and beautiful flowers, which are among the largest in the cactus family. In Florida, H. undatus has escaped from cultivation in nine counties, forming large colonies in some areas. Individuals of this species grow prolifically and may soon overrun their substrate. Whether populations of H. undatus in the United States are merely persisting or are also reproducing sexually remains unclear.

The vernacular name night-blooming cereus has been applied to several genera of cacti with large, nocturnal flowers.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"thick" is not a number. "thick" is not a number. "broad" is not a number.

... more about "Hylocereus undatus"
cushionlike +
circular to linear +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br />) +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (?) +
deciduous +  and persistent +
3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
Michael W. Hawkes +
(Haworth) Britton & Rose in N. L. Britton +
hornlike +
swollen +  and conic +
Cereus undatus +
triangular +
not distinguishable +
proliferating +
flattened +  and cylindric +
Night-blooming cere us +
mucilaginous +
Fla. +, Mexico +, West Indies +, Central America +  and n South America +
0-50 m +
not separating +
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (7.5 cm75 mm <br />0.075 m <br />) +
29 cm290 mm <br />0.29 m <br /> (38 cm380 mm <br />0.38 m <br />) +
25 cm250 mm <br />0.25 m <br /> (30 cm300 mm <br />0.3 m <br />) +
25 cm250 mm <br />0.25 m <br /> (29 cm290 mm <br />0.29 m <br />) +
fragrant +
lateral +  and subterminal +
15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br /> (30 cm300 mm <br />0.3 m <br />) +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br />) +
15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br /> (25 cm250 mm <br />0.25 m <br />) +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
persistent +, long +  and deciduous +
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (12.5 cm125 mm <br />0.125 m <br />) +
spheric +  and oblong +
4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br /> (12 cm120 mm <br />0.12 m <br />) +
Disturbed sites in sandy soils [tropical deciduous and semideciduous forests] +
10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br /> (15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br />) +
oblanceolate +
deciduous +  and persistent +
flat +  and terete +
minute +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br />) +
tuberculate +
fluted;spheric;depressed-spheric or club-shaped +
undulate +
yellowish green +
white +, purplish red +, pink +, yellow +  and greenish +
10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br /> (15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br />) +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
tuberculate +
deciduous +  and persistent +
Flowering year-round. +
mucilaginous +
ridgelike +  and nipple--shaped +
in N. L. Britton, Fl. Bermuda, +
crenate +  and undulate +
winglike +  and narrowly triangular +
adventitious +
persistent +
conspicuous +
triangular +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br />) +
arillate +  and strophiolate +
0.4mm;12mm +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (?) +
pyriform +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (?) +
7.5 cm75 mm <br />0.075 m <br /> (10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br />) +
10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br /> (?) +  and 500 cm5,000 mm <br />5 m <br /> (?) +
narrowed;angled;elongate +
4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br /> (7.5 cm75 mm <br />0.075 m <br />) +
Introduced +  and Illustrated +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
brownish gray +
straight +
deciduous +  and persistent +
inconspicuous +
1 (?) +  and 4 (?) +
terete +  and acicular +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
decurrent +
unsegmented +
whitish +, gray-green +, blue-green +  and green +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (500 cm5,000 mm <br />5 m <br />) +
1+-year-old +
3-angled +
succulent +
4cm;7.5cm +
17.5 cm175 mm <br />0.175 m <br /> (20 cm200 mm <br />0.2 m <br />) +
tuberculate +
Wilmattea +
adventitious +
tuberlike +
epipetric +  and epiphytic +
Hylocereus undatus +
Hylocereus +
species +
dull +  and glossy +
shrub +  and plant +
epipetric;hemiepiphytic;epipetric;hemiepiphytic;epiphytic +
clambering +  and sprawling +
barrel-shaped +  and spheric +