Leptocereus quadricostatus (Bello) Britton & Rose

• Title

  Leptocereus quadricostatus (Bello) Britton & Rose

• Authors

  Nathaniel Lord Britton, Frances W. Horne

• Scientific Name

  Leptocereus quadricostatus (Bello) Britton & Rose

• Description

  Flora Borinqueña Leptocereus quadricostatus Sebucan Four-ribbed Cactus Family Cactaceae Cactus Family Cereus quadricostatus Bello, Apuntes para la Flora de Puerto Rico 46. 1881. Leptocereus quadricostatus Britton and Rose, Contributions from the United States National Museum 16: 242, 1913. Domingo Bello y Espinosa (1817-1884) a native of the island Teneriffe, who studied the flora of western Porto Rico during the years from 1848 to 1878, first recognized this endemic cactus as different from all others. The plant is restricted to lower elevations in the dry, southern and southwestern districts, sometimes forming thickets difficult to penetrate without cutting; the most eastern mainland locality observed by us is near Salinas; we have seen it also on the small island Cayo Icacos, where the rainfall is also low. Inland it grows on the tops of hills near Coamo Springs; its long, curved or arching, 4-angled branches are characteristic. Leptocereus (Greek, with reference to the thin ribs of these cacti) was established as a genus by Britton and Rose in 1909, with a Cuban species regarded as typical; there are 8 known species, of which 6 are Cuban, 1 Santo Domingan and 1 Porto Rican. They are spiny, many-jointed cacti, the joints mostly elongated, and without leaves. The rather small, solitary flowers are diurnal; the ovary bears many, spiny areoles; the perianth has a short, bell-shaped tube, and white, spreading segments; there are numerous, short stamens; the lobes of the stigma project beyond the stamens. The fleshy, globose to obovoid fruit is spiny, or when ripe, smooth, and contains many, black seeds. The name Pitajaya is used for these cacti, as well as for others. Leptocereus quadricostatus (four-ribbed) is bushy-branched, from 2 to 4 meters high. The dark green joints are from 0.2 to 0.7 meters long and from 4 to 6 centimeters thick, almost always 4-ribbed, but some of them rarely 3-ribbed, or 5-ribbed, the ribs thin, bearing several spines at each areole, the grayish, needle-like spines from 1 to 6 centimeters long. The flowers are about 4 centimeters long and 2 centimeters wide, their outer segments green, the inner yellowish-white; the areoles of the ovary and flower-tube bear a few short spines; the style and the filaments are greenish. The globular or obovoid, red fruit is from 3 to 5 centimeters long, losing its spines and becoming smooth.