Cereus jamacaru

Cereus jamacaru
Cereus jamacaru
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Core eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Cactaceae
Subfamily:	Cactoideae
Tribe:	Cereeae
Genus:	Cereus
Species:	C. jamacaru
Binomial name
Cereus jamacaru DC.

Cereus jamacaru, known as mandacaru or cardeiro,^[1] is a cactus common in the Brazilian northeast which often grows up to 5 metres (20 ft) high.

A thorn-less kind used for animal feed. The most common kind is highly thorny and is also used for animal feed, after burning or cutting off the thorns. Mandacaru is highly drought-resistant.

The flowers are white and about 30 centimetres (10 in) long. The flower buds usually appear in the middle of spring and each flower lasts only for a night. They blossom at dusk and wither by the morning . Its fruit has a very strong violet color. The pulp is white with tiny black seeds, and it is considered very tasty. Many birds feed on them, like the "gralha-cancã" and the "periquito-da-caatinga" from Brazilian caatinga.

References