Leptocereus paniculatus

Trunk and crown segments

Leptocereus paniculatus reaches 6–10 m in height. The trunk is 2–4 m long and 300–400 mm in diameter, with brown bark. Terminal segments are grey-green, 0.3–0.5 m long and 60–100 mm in diameter. They bear 4–6 ribs with undulate margins. Areoles are spaced 20–25 mm apart, sit in depressions and usually bear 15–25 spines. Young spines are brownish-yellow and become ash-grey with age. [Hoxey et al. 2023b, pp. 26–31]

Flowering short shoots and fruits

Brachyblasts, short shoots with densely packed areoles, develop at stem tips. They may reach 70–80 mm in length and about 20 mm in diameter. Creamy-white felt initially covers them, and they later become woody. An older short shoot can still flower and fruit. Its tip may also resume ordinary elongation, giving the branch a distinctly segmented appearance. [Hoxey et al. 2023b, pp. 26–30]

The nocturnal flower is about 50 mm long and 15 mm wide. Its tube is spineless or bears a few very short, hair-like spines. Fruits measure 60–70 × 50–55 mm and are green or reddish-green, with some tuberculation. According to the 2023 revision, they may bear up to 8 slender spines up to 4 mm long, although these are often absent. Seeds measuring 2.2–2.4 × 1.2 × 0.8 mm lie in mucilaginous pulp. [Hoxey et al. 2023b, pp. 26–30]

Dry lowlands of Hispaniola

The main range extends from Port-au-Prince through the Plaine de Cul-de-Sac to the Valle de Neiba in the Dominican Republic and towards Azua. A second concentration was described in northwestern Haiti. The plant inhabits low, dry forests and thorn woodland. Around Lago Enriquillo it was observed from below sea level to 220 m. A single observation at 620 m in the Sierra Martín García was treated in the revision as unusual for this lowland species. [Hoxey et al. 2023b, pp. 30–31]

Changes in habit with age

A seedling initially develops a slender upright stem with 4 ribs and very weak spines. At a height of 300–500 mm the stem thickens, the ribs become more strongly winged, the spines more conspicuous and branching begins. This change explains some historical difficulties in identifying young plants. The synonym Neoabbottia paniculata remains linked to this card. [Hoxey et al. 2023b, pp. 30, 48]

Materials from the author's archive

The species also appears in Konrad Szychowski's private material archive. [Britton and Rose 1921, file p. 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 18] [Kreuzinger 1935, file p. 16]