Cereus repandus

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Peruvian Apple Cactus
Drawing of flowering stem
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida (unranked): Core eudicots Order: Caryophyllales Family: Cactaceae Subfamily: Cactoideae Tribe: Cereeae Genus: Cereus Species: C. repandus
Binomial name
Cereus repandus Haw.[verification needed]
Synonyms
Cereus peruvianus

The Peruvian Apple Cactus, Cereus repandus, is a large, erect, thorny columnar cactus found in South America. It is also known as Giant Club Cactus, 'Hedge Cactus, cadushi, or (in Wayuunaiki^[1]) kayush.

With an often tree-like appearance, the Peruvian Apple Cactus' cylindrical gray-green to blue stems can reach 10 meters (33 ft) in height and 10-20 cm in diameter. The nocturnal flowers remain open for only one night. The fruits, known locally as "pitaya" or Peruvian Apple, are thornless and vary in skin color from violet-red to yellow. The edible flesh is white and contains small, edible, crunchy seeds.

Cereus repandus is an unresearched, under-utilized cactus, grown mostly as an ornamental plant. As noted above, it has some local culinary importance. The Wayuu from the La Guajira Peninsula of Colombia and Venezuela use the inner cane-like wood of kayush in wattle and daub construction^[1].

[edit] Footnotes

[edit] References

• Anderson, Edward F. (2001): The Cactus Family: 148-149. Timber Press.
• Villalobos, Soraya; Vargas, Orlando & Melo, Sandra (2007): Uso, manejo y conservacion de "yosú", Stenocereus griseus (Cactaceae) en la Alta Guajira colombiana [Usage, Management and Conservation of yosú, Stenocereus griseus (Cactaceae), in the Upper Guajira, Colombia]. [Spanish with English abstract] Acta Biologica Colombiana 12(1): 99-112. PDF fulltext

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