Cereus hexagonus
(L.) Mill.
Cactaceae
Acanthocereus thalassinus (Otto & A.Dietr.) Borg
Cactus hexagonus L.
Cactus octogonus Page ex Steud.
Cactus peruvianus DC.
Cactus regalis Spreng.
Cephalocereus perlucens (K.Schum.) Borg
Cereus horridus Otto ex Pfeiff.
Cereus karstenii Salm-Dyck
Cereus lepidotus Salm-Dyck
Cereus longiflorus Alexander
Cereus northumberlandianus Lamb.
Cereus perlucens K.Schum.
Cereus regalis Haw. ex Spreng.
Cereus thalassinus Otto & A.Dietr.
Pilocereus perlucens (K.Schum.) Werderm.
Common Name: Lady of the Night
Plant growing in the Osaka Prefectural Flower Garden, Osaka, Japan
Photograph by: KENPEI
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
Close-up o the flower
Photograph by: Wade
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0
Cultivated plants in Israel (ignore the orange fruit in the foreground)
Photograph by: ???? ??
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
General Information
Cereus hexagonus is a succulent, evergreen, shrub or tree-like cactus with an open crown that is somewhat suggestive of a candelabra[
529- Title
- The Cactaceae
- Publication
-
- Author
- Britton N.L. & Rose J.N.
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- The Carnegie Institution of Washington; Washington.
- Year
- 1920
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An immense work in 4 volumes. Many of the botanical names are out of date, of course, but the book contains a wealth of information about the plants. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
]. It can grow 8 - 15 metres tall. The plant usually branches from near the ground with a main stem that can be 40cm in diameter[
529- Title
- The Cactaceae
- Publication
-
- Author
- Britton N.L. & Rose J.N.
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- The Carnegie Institution of Washington; Washington.
- Year
- 1920
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An immense work in 4 volumes. Many of the botanical names are out of date, of course, but the book contains a wealth of information about the plants. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].
The edible fruit is gathered from the wild or from cultivated plants and used locally. The plant is often cultivated as an ornamental in tropical America, and sometimes also further afield[
529- Title
- The Cactaceae
- Publication
-
- Author
- Britton N.L. & Rose J.N.
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- The Carnegie Institution of Washington; Washington.
- Year
- 1920
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An immense work in 4 volumes. Many of the botanical names are out of date, of course, but the book contains a wealth of information about the plants. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
]. There have been experiments to assess the plant's suitability as a fruit crop in the Middle East and North Africa, as it has high water use efficiency[
338- Title
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.iucnredlist.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
].
Cereus hexagonus is widespread and there are no known threats. It is also often found on mountain slopes that are not suitable for urban and agricultural development. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2017)[
338- Title
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.iucnredlist.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
].
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
,
1987- Title
- The Cactus Family
- Publication
-
- Author
- Anderson E.F.
- Publisher
- Timber Press; Portland, Oregon
- Year
- 2001
- ISBN
- 0-88192-498-9
- Description
- An excellent work, giving botanical descriptions of virtually all the cacti, together with their range (but not their habitats) and sometimes also a photo. it also contains a long chapter detailing the many uses of cacti and another on cultivation..
Range
S. America - Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, the Guyanas; Caribbean - Trinidad and Tobago.
Habitat
Sand dunes along the coast, where it can form large clumps, flatlands and small hills further inland; at elevations up to 1,700 metres[
338- Title
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.iucnredlist.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
]
Properties
| Conservation Status | Least Concern |
| Edibility Rating |  |
| Habit | Evergreen Tree |
| Height | 10.00 m |
| Pollinators | Hawkmoths |
| Cultivation Status | Ornamental, Wild |
Cultivation Details
Cereus hexagonus is a plant of drier areas in the tropics and has a high water use efficiency. It also adapts well to moist environments and is often grown as an ornamental in gardens in French Guyana[
338- Title
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.iucnredlist.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
].
Succeeds in full sun and in light shade[
423- Title
- Desert Tropicals
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.desert-tropicals.com/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- The main focus of the site is succulent plants, but it also contains information on a wide range of other species. Usually at least one good photograph, plus basic information about the plant and its cultivation.
]. Prefers a pH lower than 6[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
Plants flower overnight[
1987- Title
- The Cactus Family
- Publication
-
- Author
- Anderson E.F.
- Publisher
- Timber Press; Portland, Oregon
- Year
- 2001
- ISBN
- 0-88192-498-9
- Description
- An excellent work, giving botanical descriptions of virtually all the cacti, together with their range (but not their habitats) and sometimes also a photo. it also contains a long chapter detailing the many uses of cacti and another on cultivation..
].
Edible Uses
Fruit - raw, dried or made into a juice[
529- Title
- The Cactaceae
- Publication
-
- Author
- Britton N.L. & Rose J.N.
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- The Carnegie Institution of Washington; Washington.
- Year
- 1920
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An immense work in 4 volumes. Many of the botanical names are out of date, of course, but the book contains a wealth of information about the plants. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
,
1438- Title
- Food Plants in the Americas: A Survey of the Domesticated, Cultivated, and Wild Plants Used for Human Food in North,
- Publication
-
- Author
- Kermath B.M.; Bennett B.C.' Pulsipher L.M.
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 2014
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A pre-publication draft of an amazing, on-going work first started in 1985. It contains information on more than 3,900 taxa from the Americas - from Arctic regions to the Tropics
,
1783- Title
- Enciclopedia de las Plantas Útiles del Ecuador
- Publication
-
- Author
- de la Torre, L., Navarrete H., P. Muriel M., Macía M.J. & Ba
- Publisher
- Herbario QCA de la Escuela de Ciencias Biológicas de la Pontific
- Year
- 2008
- ISBN
- 978-9978-77-135-8
- Description
-
]. It can be used to make preserves[
1783- Title
- Enciclopedia de las Plantas Útiles del Ecuador
- Publication
-
- Author
- de la Torre, L., Navarrete H., P. Muriel M., Macía M.J. & Ba
- Publisher
- Herbario QCA de la Escuela de Ciencias Biológicas de la Pontific
- Year
- 2008
- ISBN
- 978-9978-77-135-8
- Description
-
]. The red, ovoid fruit can be 5.5 - 13cm long with a white or pinkish pulp[
301- Title
- Cornucopia II
- Publication
-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications, California.
- Year
- 1998
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-2-5
- Description
- The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
,
529- Title
- The Cactaceae
- Publication
-
- Author
- Britton N.L. & Rose J.N.
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- The Carnegie Institution of Washington; Washington.
- Year
- 1920
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An immense work in 4 volumes. Many of the botanical names are out of date, of course, but the book contains a wealth of information about the plants. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].
Young stems are sometimes cooked and used as a vegetable[
301- Title
- Cornucopia II
- Publication
-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications, California.
- Year
- 1998
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-2-5
- Description
- The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
].
Medicinal
None known
Other Uses
None known
Propagation
Seed -
Cuttings
If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.
Useful Tropical Plants Database 2014 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
