Leptocereus sylvestris

Name circumscription and variation

Current POWO accepts Leptocereus sylvestris and includes L. maxonii and L. santamarinae in its synonymy. The 2020 publication analysed all 3 names as separate groups. Material identified as L. maxonii was described as generally decumbent, with segments usually thinner than 2.5 cm and densely spiny fruits. Under L. sylvestris and L. santamarinae, thicker stems of 2.5–4.6 cm were given. This preserves variation among source populations within the currently broader species. [2-WWW] [Barrios et al. 2020a, POWO record 138289-2, consulted 12 October 2026, p. 11 in the 2020 study]

Three source populations

In the 2025 study, seeds described as L. sylvestris came from Sendero el Guafe, Granma Province, at 18 m elevation. Material labelled L. santamarinae was collected at Playa Herradura in Las Tunas, at 2 m. The lot labelled L. maxonii came from the limestone hill of Mesa de la Tinta in Guantánamo, at 394 m. Each group was tested separately. The results retain these source labels so that readers can reconstruct the actual experimental scope. [Barrios et al. 2025, pp. 3, Table 1]

Different seed responses

On 1% agar, with 8 hours of light per day, the El Guafe lot after 28 days showed 55.42 ± 10.43% germination at 25°C and 19.42 ± 10.18% at 25/35°C. Corresponding values for the Playa Herradura lot were 99.42 ± 1.51% and 32.00 ± 11.31%. For Mesa de la Tinta they were 90.28 ± 6.87% and 36.57 ± 10.18%. Each treatment had 7 replicates of 25 seeds. None of these means describes all populations of the currently accepted L. sylvestris. [Barrios et al. 2025, pp. 3–4, 7, Table 2]

Some seeds inhibited by heat resumed germination after transfer to 25°C. The proportion of seeds remaining viable after 56 days also differed among the tested lots. The authors considered physiological dormancy as a mechanism spreading germination over time. High germination in one lot and viable ungerminated seeds in another describe separate properties that matter when retaining material of known provenance. [Barrios et al. 2025, pp. 8, 12–13]