Pachycereus pringlei
| Pachycereus pringlei | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Pachycereus pringlei in Baja California, Mexico | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Core eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Cactaceae |
| Genus: | Pachycereus |
| Species: | P. pringlei |
| Binomial name | |
| Pachycereus pringlei (S.Watson) Britton & Rose |
|
| Synonyms | |
Pachycereus pringlei is a species of cactus that is native to northwestern Mexico in the states of Baja California, Baja California Sur, and Sonora. It is commonly known as Cardón, a name derived from the Spanish word cardo, meaning "thistle."[2]
It is the tallest cactus species in the world, with a maximum recorded height of 19.2 m (63 ft),[3] with a stout trunk up to 1 m (3.3 ft) in diameter bearing several erect branches. In overall appearance, it resembles the related Saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea), but differs in the fewer ribs on the stems, in being more heavily branched from near to the base of the stem, and in the location of the blossoms.
Large stands of these magnificent cactus still exist, but many have been destroyed as fields have been cleared for cultivation in Sonora.
The fruit of this cactus was an important food for the Seri people in Sonora, who call the cactus xaasj.[4]
The flesh of this cactus contains alkaloids, and may have been used as a psychoactive plant in Mexico.[5]
A symbiotic relationship with bacterial and fungal colonies on its roots allows P. pringlei to grow on bare rock even where there is no soil available at all, as the bacteria can fix nitrogen from the air and break down the rock to produce nutrients. The cactus even packages symbiotic bacteria in with its seeds.[6][7][8]
[edit] References
- ^ "Taxon: Pachycereus pringlei (S. Watson) Britton & Rose". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 2003-08-29. http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?417540. Retrieved 2011-11-03.
- ^ Chamlee, Bob. "Cardón cactus, Pachycereus pringlei". Los Cabos Guide to Good Eating and More!. http://www.loscabosrestaurantguide.com/cardon_cactus.htm. Retrieved 2011-11-03.
- ^ Salak, M.. "In search of the tallest cactus". Cactus and Succulent Journal 72 (3).
- ^ *Felger, Richard; Mary B. Moser. (1985). People of the desert and sea: ethnobotany of the Seri Indians. Tucson: University of Arizona Press. ISBN 0816508186.
- ^ Brown, Ethan (September 2002). "Professor X". Wired Magazine. http://mdma.net/alexander-shulgin/professor-x.html.
- ^ Puente, M. E.; Y. Bashan, C. Y. Li, and V. K. Lebsky (September 2004). "Microbial populations and activities in the rhizoplane of rock-weathering desert plants. I. Root colonization and weathering of igneous rocks". Plant Biology (Stuttgart) 6 (5): 629–42. doi:10.1055/s-2004-821100. PMID 15375735.
- ^ Puente, M. E.; C. Y. Li, and Y. Bashan (September 2004). "Microbial populations and activities in the rhizoplane of rock-weathering desert plants. II. Growth promotion of cactus seedlings". Plant Biology (Stuttgart) 6 (5): 643–50. doi:10.1055/s-2004-821101. PMID 15375736.
- ^ Walker, Matt (2009-08-19). "How cacti become 'rock busters'". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8209000/8209687.stm.
[edit] External links
Media related to Pachycereus pringlei at Wikimedia Commons 
Data related to Pachycereus pringlei at Wikispecies
