Name and range
Plants of the World Online accepts Armatocereus cartwrightianus Backeb., with a native range from Ecuador to Peru. It grows as a succulent shrub or tree in deserts and dry shrubland. The historical name Lemaireocereus cartwrightianus is included among its synonyms. [2-WWW]
Identifying a mature plant
In the Loaiza and Roque Gamarra key, A. cartwrightianus has dark green stem segments, 15–25 radial spines per areole and smooth outer perianth parts. Floral bracts are 0.5–1 mm long, floral areoles are 1–2 mm wide and the 1–4 central spines are 1–15 cm long. The fruits bear yellowish spines. This combination of characters leads to the species in the key. [Loaiza and Roque Gamarra 2016, p. 38, key]
The compared A. godingianus has larger bracts, 1–5 mm, and floral areoles 2–5 mm wide in the same key. Its central spine is 1–5 cm long. The authors designed the key for mature plants because young individuals may have poorly developed structures used in identification. Floral characters complement comparisons based on spines alone. [Loaiza and Roque Gamarra 2016, p. 38, key and preceding explanation]
Related articles
Synonyms and names in the literature
Armatocereus cartwrightianus var. longispinus · Cereus cartwrightianus · Lemaireocereus cartwrightianus [2-WWW]