FoI
Fairy Castle Cactus
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Fairy Castle Cactus
P Introduced Unknown Photo: Thingnam Girija
Common name: Fairy Castle Cactus, Barbed-wire cactus, Sword-pear, Triangle cactus
Botanical name: Acanthocereus tetragonus    Family: Cactaceae (Cactus family)
Synonyms: Cereus tetragonus, Cactus tetragonus

Fairy Castle Cactus is a tall, columnar cactus that reaches a height of 2-7 m. Stems are dark green, have three to five angles, and are 6-8 cm in diameter. Areoles are grey and separated by 2-3 cm. Central areoles have one to two spines up to 4 cm long, while radial areoles have six to eight spines up to 2.5 cm in length. The flowers are 14-20 cm across with a tube 8-15 cm long. Outer tepals are greenish-white, inner tepals are pure white, and pistils are creamy white. Flowers are open from night until dawn, attracting moths. The shiny, red fruits are around 5 cm long. Fairy Castle Cactus is native to Mexico, cultivated worldwide.

Identification credit: S. Kasim Photographed in cultivation.

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