Cliffs in a humid region
Leptocereus cremnophilus was described from the Samaná Peninsula in the Dominican Republic. The authors confirmed it on the eastern cliffs of Loma el Frontón and on coastal rocks. Annual rainfall in the region is about 2–2.5 m and supports humid evergreen forest. The cliffs, formed of marble derived from limestone, provide an exposed habitat for drought-tolerant plants. Reports from nearby Cabo Cabrón remained unconfirmed. [Hoxey et al. 2023b, pp. 61–65]
Stems and flowering short shoots
The plant forms a shrub or small tree 1–3 m tall. The trunk is 0.5–1.5 m long and up to 100 mm in diameter. Terminal segments are 0.3–1 m long and (35–)40–45 mm in diameter, with (4–)5–6 ribs. Brown-felted areoles are spaced about 15 mm apart. Each usually bears 15–18 spines measuring 10–20(–25) mm. Flowers develop both from areoles near the tips of ordinary stems and from flowering short shoots. [Hoxey et al. 2023b, pp. 61–64]
Fruit and distinguishing features
The flower is about 60 mm long and 12–15 mm wide. Its tube was described as having about 8 spines, each 3–4 mm long, per areole. The fruit is almost spherical, about 60 mm in diameter, with spines up to 10 mm long. The pulp is only weakly mucilaginous. Seeds measure 2.6–2.7 × 1.6 × 0.6 mm. Cut stems and flowers did not darken in the authors’ observations, distinguishing them from the other Hispaniolan leptocerei they studied. [Hoxey et al. 2023b, pp. 64–65]
Small branches
Some stems produce numerous slender branches near their tips, up to 10 mm in diameter, that detach readily from the plant. The authors proposed that these may aid vegetative propagation on cliffs. Rooting success, survival of the detached branches and their quantitative contribution to population recruitment were not measured in this revision. These outcomes require a field experiment. [Hoxey et al. 2023b, pp. 64–65]