Pilosocereus leucocephalus

Pilosocereus leucocephalus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Cactaceae
Subfamily:	Cactoideae
Genus:	Pilosocereus
Species:	P. leucocephalus
Binomial name
Pilosocereus leucocephalus (Poselg.) Byles & G.D.Rowley[1]
Synonyms[2]
List Cephalocereus cometes (Scheidw.) Britton & Rose Cephalocereus leucocephalus (Poselg.) Britton & Rose Cephalocereus leucocephalus f. cristatus P.V.Heath Cephalocereus maxonii Rose Cephalocereus palmeri Rose Cephalocereus palmeri f. cristatus P.V.Heath Cephalocereus sartorianus Rose Cephalocereus tehuacanus (Weing.) Borg Cephalophorus palmeri (Rose) Boom Cereus cometes Scheidw. Cereus flavicomus Salm-Dyck Cereus houlletii (Lem.) Mottet Cereus jubatus Salm-Dyck ex C.F.Först. Cereus maxonii (Rose) Vaupel Cereus tehuacanus (Weing.) Werderm. Cereus victoriensis Vaupel Pilocereus cometes (Scheidw.) Mittler ex C.F.Först. Pilocereus flavicomus (Salm-Dyck) C.F.Först. & Rümpler Pilocereus forsteri Sencke ex Lem. Pilocereus houlletii Lem. Pilocereus jubatus Salm-Dyck Pilocereus leucocephalus Poselg. Pilocereus marschalleckianus Zeiss. Pilocereus marschalleckianus var. picta Zeiss. Pilocereus maxonii (Rose) A.Berger Pilocereus palmeri (Rose) F.M.Knuth Pilocereus sartorianus A.Berger Pilocereus tehuacanus Weing. Pilosocereus cometes (Scheidw.) Byles & G.D.Rowley Pilosocereus leucocephalus subsp. palmeri (Rose) Scheinvar Pilosocereus maxonii (Rose) Byles & G.D.Rowley Pilosocereus palmeri (Rose) Byles & G.D.Rowley Pilosocereus palmeri var. sartorianus (Rose) Lodé Pilosocereus palmeri var. victoriensis (Vaupel) Backeb. Pilosocereus sartorianus (Rose) Byles & G.D.Rowley Pilosocereus tehuacanus (Weing.) Byles & G.D.Rowley

Pilosocereus leucocephalus, called old man cactus (along with a number of similar species), old man of Mexico, tuno, and woolly torch, is a species of cactus in the genus Pilosocereus, native to Mexico and Central America.[2] It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[3] Pilosocereus leucocephalus functions as a keystone species in dry landscapes found in Mesoamerica. The fruit this cactus produces is relied upon as a source of hydration and sugar in arid areas by frugivores such as birds, bats, and even some reptiles.[4]

References

1. Pilosocereus (Cactac.) Gen. Revis. Ampl.: 119 (1994)
2. "Pilosocereus leucocephalus (Poselg.) Byles & G.D.Rowley". Plants of the World Online. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2017. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
3. "Pilosocereus leucocephalus". The Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
4. Vázquez‐Castillo, Shamira; Miranda‐Jácome, Antonio; Ruelas Inzunza, Ernesto (2019). "Patterns of frugivory in the columnar cactus Pilosocereus leucocephalus". Ecology and Evolution. 9 (3): 1268–1277. doi:10.1002/ece3.4833. PMC 6374677. PMID 30805158.