# Stenocereus > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Stenocereus > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Stenocereus.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stenocereus > Source revision: 1354638907 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Genus of plant in the family Cactaceae Stenocereus Organ-pipe cactus Stenocereus thurberi Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae Clade: Embryophytes Clade: Tracheophytes Clade: Spermatophytes Clade: Angiosperms Clade: Eudicots Order: Caryophyllales Family: Cactaceae Subfamily: Cactoideae Tribe: Echinocereeae Genus: Stenocereus (A.Berger) Riccob. Type species Stenocereus stellatus Species Several, see text Synonyms Hertrichocereus Backeb. Machaerocereus Britton & Rose Neolemaireocereus Backeb. Rathbunia Britton & Rose Ritterocereus Backeb. ***Stenocereus***, from [Ancient Greek](/source/Ancient_Greek) στενός (*stenós*), meaning "narrow", and Latin *cēreus*, meaning "candle", is a [genus](/source/Genus) of columnar or tree-like [cacti](/source/Cactus) from the [Baja California Peninsula](/source/Baja_California_Peninsula) and other parts of [Mexico](/source/Mexico), [Arizona](/source/Arizona) in the [United States](/source/United_States), [Colombia](/source/Colombia), [Costa Rica](/source/Costa_Rica), [Guatemala](/source/Guatemala), [Venezuela](/source/Venezuela), and the [West Indies](/source/West_Indies). The genus has been enlarged by the addition of species from several other [genera](/source/Genus). A close relative is the peculiar *chinoa* or *chende* cactus, *[Polaskia chende](/source/Polaskia_chende)*. ## Description The species within the genus exhibit varying growth habits, often resembling trees or shrubs. They can also stretch out or creep to form dense thickets, and some species develop well-formed trunks. The green shoots of these plants are cylindrical in shape and feature distinctive cylindrical ribs. From these ribs, woolly areoles are present, from which strong spines emerge. Additionally, some species may have warts, while others do not. The [flowers](/source/Flower) are mostly borne near the [apex](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/apex) of the stems, funnel- or bell-shaped, and mostly nocturnal. The stem that supports the flowers (pericarpel) is often covered with numerous spiny areoles. They are considered easy to grow and generally grow slowly.[1] *[Stenocereus thurberi](/source/Stenocereus_thurberi)* (the organ-pipe cactus) is a well-known member of this genus and is widely distributed in [Arizona](/source/Arizona) and northern Mexico.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] The fruit are similar to a [dragon fruit](/source/Dragon_fruit). They are typically fleshy, up to 7.5 cm (3.0 in) in length, and adorned with thorns. The fruit tend to split open irregularly, and in most cases, the remnants of the flower remain attached until just before the fruit ripen. The seeds within the fruit are large, glossy, and usually dark black in color. They are also typically smooth in texture. Those of *[Stenocereus gummosus](/source/Stenocereus_gummosus)*, acidic and very refreshing, are highly favored by the [Seris](/source/Seri_people) of northwestern Mexico,[2] who call the cactus *ziix is ccapxl*[3] – "thing whose fruit is sour". It is commonly known in [Spanish](/source/Spanish_language) as *pitaya agria*, or by the English translation sour pitaya. *[S. griseus](/source/Stenocereus_griseus)* (dagger cactus) fruit, locally known as *iguaraya*, are relished by the [Wayuu people](/source/Wayuu_people) from the [Guajira Peninsula](/source/Guajira_Peninsula) of [Colombia](/source/Colombia).[4] *Stenocereus* species are often used as [ornamental plants](/source/Ornamental_plant) in hot and arid regions, and as noted above, some species can double as a fruit crop. The interiors of *Stenocereus* trunks often grow to form tough, cane-like stakes suitable for certain kinds of construction. The Wayuu use those of dagger cactus for building [wattle-and-daub](/source/Wattle-and-daub) walls, a technique they call *yotojoro*, after their name for the cactus wood "canes".[4] ## Species As of January 2026[\[update\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Stenocereus&action=edit), [Plants of the World Online](/source/Plants_of_the_World_Online) accepts these species:[5] Image Scientific name Common name Distribution Stenocereus alamosensis (J.M. Coult.) A.C. Gibson & K.E. Horak Octopus cactus, cina Mexico Stenocereus beneckei (Ehrenb.) A. Berger & Buxb. Central Mexico Stenocereus chacalapensis (Bravo & T. MacDoug.) Buxb. Oaxaca - Mexico Stenocereus chrysocarpus Sánchez-Mej. Guerrero and Michoacán, Mexico Stenocereus eruca (Brandegee) A.C. Gibson & K.E. Horak Creeping devil caterpillar cactus Baja California Sur - Mexico Stenocereus fricii Sánchez-Mej. Pitayo De Aguas Colima, Jalisco, Michoacan de Ocampo - Mexico Stenocereus griseus (Haw.) Buxb. Dagger cactus, yosú (Wayuunaiki) Mexico to Venezuela Stenocereus gummosus (Engelm.) A. Gibson & K.E. Horak Sour pitaya, pitaya agria, ziix is ccapxl (Cmiique iitom) Baja California (Norte), Baja California Sur - Mexico Stenocereus heptagonus (L.) Mottram Greater Antilles to Virgin Islands Stenocereus huastecorum Alvarado-Sizzo, Arreola-Nava & Terrazas Northeastern and central Mexico Stenocereus humilis (Britton & Rose) D.R.Hunt Central Colombia Stenocereus kerberi (K. Schum.) A.C. Gibson & K.E. Horak Colima, Sinaloa - Mexico Stenocereus martinezii (J.G. Ortega) Buxb. Pitahayo, Pitayo Sinaloa - Mexico Stenocereus montanus (Britton & Rose) Buxb. Chihuahua, Colima, Jalisco, Nayarit, Sinaloa, Sonora - Mexico Stenocereus pruinosus (Otto ex Pfeiff.) Buxb. Chiapas, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Puebla, Tamaulipas, Veracruz-Llave - Mexico Stenocereus queretaroensis F.A.C.Weber ex Mathes.) Buxb. Colima, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Michoacan de Ocampo, Queretaro de Zaragoza - Mexico Stenocereus quevedonis (J.G. Ortega) Buxb. Pitire Sinaloa - Mexico Stenocereus standleyi (J.G. Ortega) Buxb. Pitaya Marismena Guerrero, Sinaloa - Mexico Stenocereus stellatus (Pfeiff.) Riccob. Baja organ pipe cactus Oaxaca, Morelos, Puebla - Mexico Stenocereus thurberi (Engelm.) Buxb. Organpipe cactus Baja California (Norte), Baja California Sur, Sinaloa, Sonora - Mexico, Arizona - United States Stenocereus treleasei (Vaupel) Backeb. Tunillo Oaxaca - Mexico Stenocereus zopilotensis Arreola-Nava & Terrazas Mexico (Guerrero) - Close-up of organpipe cactus (*[S. thurberi](/source/Stenocereus_thurberi)*) spines - Fruit of *[Stenocereus queretaroensis](/source/Stenocereus_queretaroensis)* prepared for eating - *[Stenocereus gummosus](/source/Stenocereus_gummosus)* at the [Huntington Desert Garden](/source/Huntington_Desert_Garden). ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-r220_1-0)** Backeberg, Curt (1982). *Die Cactaceae: Handbuch der Kakteenkunde* (in German). Stuttgart New York: G. Fischer. p. 2138-2155. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [3-437-30383-X](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/3-437-30383-X). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Felger, Richard & Moser, Mary B. (1985): *People of the desert and sea: ethnobotany of the Seri Indians*. University of Arizona Press, Tucson [*[ISBN missing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources)*] 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Kozak, David L. (2013). *Inside Dazzling Mountains: Southwest Native Verbal Arts Native literatures of the Americas UPCC book collections on Project MUSE*. U of Nebraska Press. pp. 48–49. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780803240865](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780803240865). 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-villalobosetal2007_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-villalobosetal2007_4-1) Villalobos, Soraya; Vargas, Orlando & Melo, Sandra (2007): Uso, manejo y conservacion de *"yosú", Stenocereus griseus* (Cactaceae) en la Alta Guajira colombiana [Usage, Management and Conservation of *yosú, Stenocereus griseus* (Cactaceae), in the Upper Guajira, Colombia]. [Spanish with English abstract] *Acta Biológica Colombiana* **12**(1): 99–112. [PDF fulltext](http://www.scielo.org.co/pdf/abc/v12n1/v12n1a8.pdf) (2007) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-h587_5-0)** ["Stenocereus (A.Berger) Riccob"](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:1079988-2#children). *Plants of the World Online*. Retrieved 2025-10-18. ## Further reading - Anderson, Edward F. (2001): *The Cactus Family* [*[ISBN missing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources)*] - Innes, C. & Wall, B. (1995): *Cacti, Succulents and Bromaliads*. Cassell & The Royal Horticultural Society.[*[ISBN missing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources)*] ## External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Stenocereus](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Stenocereus). - Data related to [Stenocereus](https://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:Search/Stenocereus) at Wikispecies - [cactiguide.com](http://www.cactiguide.com/) Taxon identifiers Stenocereus Wikidata: Q133435 Wikispecies: Stenocereus BioLib: 105632 CoL: 7MJ7 EoL: 62574 EPPO: 1SVCG FNA: 131362 FoC: 131362 GBIF: 3084379 GRIN: 17190 iNaturalist: 82006 IPNI: 1079988-2 IRMNG: 1307386 ITIS: 500568 NCBI: 171972 Open Tree of Life: 322817 PLANTS: STENO8 POWO: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:1079988-2 Tropicos: 40005332 WFO: wfo-4000036481 Cereus subg. Stenocereus Wikidata: Q14928235 IPNI: 330217-2 Tropicos: 50136112 WFO: wfo-3500004012 Authority control databases: National Israel --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Stenocereus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stenocereus) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stenocereus?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.