Identification and nomenclature
POWO accepts P. weberi as a distinct species and includes P. gigas and Stenocereus weberi among its synonyms. In the comparison presented with the description of P. tepamo, P. weberi stems lacked a pronounced separation into sterile and flowering zones. A longitudinal groove occurred between areoles, and central spines had a flattened cross section. These distinctions help retain the correct identity of material described in older literature. [2-WWW] [Gama-López and Arias 1998]
Fruits as research material
Sandate-Flores and colleagues studied a single 10 kg batch of P. weberi fruits from Ahuatlán in Puebla. They measured betalains, phenolic compounds, vitamin C and mineral constituents in the pulp. Antioxidant activity was examined using several chemical methods. Clarified juice extracts were also tested for effects on the viability of cultured cells. The results characterize the collected fruit batch and its prepared extracts, while comparison with other localities requires attention to material origin and maturity. [Sandate-Flores et al. 2020]
Fruit composition and extract studies
A study of Pachycereus weberi fruit from a single Puebla batch measured betalains, vitamin C, minerals and activity in chemical assays. Clarified juice was also evaluated in cell cultures. Exposure to a final juice proportion of 2% for 48 hours reduced viability readouts in Caco-2 and MCF-7 cells. The finding describes the activity of the prepared juice in culture, while contributions of its individual constituents require separate experiments. [Sandate-Flores et al. 2020]
Synonyms and names in the literature
Cereus weberi · Lemaireocereus weberi · Pachycereus gigas · Pachycereus grandis var. gigas · Pachycereus weberi var. gigas · Stenocereus weberi [2-WWW]