cereus

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Animals & Nature

cereus

cactus genus

Also known as: Cereus

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

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Category: Animals & Nature

Related Topics:: cactus; mandacaru; cereus

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cereus, (genus Cereus), genus of about 30 species of large columnar cacti (family Cactaceae) native to South America. The common name cereus is also broadly applied to any number of “ceroid cacti,” which have elongated bodies; many such cacti are designated with scientific epithets that include the suffix “-cereus” (e.g., Hylocereus, Pachycereus, Selenicereus, and Stenocereus). Members of the genus Cereus are generally shrub- or treelike cacti with 4–10 ribs on each stem. The ribs are lined with rows of large areoles, each of which is armed with several stout spines. The large white flowers are fragrant and night-blooming. The spherical ...(100 of 176 words)

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