Cereus schottii Engelm.
Lophocereus schottii (Engelm.) Britton & Rose
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Pachycereus schottii (Engelm.) D.R. Hunt Señita cactus, old man cactus
Old man cactus is native to southwestern North America—Arizona, and Baja California and Sonora in Mexico. Identification: Señita grows up to 12′ (3.7 m) high, with stems 4-8″ (10-20 cm) in diameter. Near the bottom of the columns, the areoles (bumps which produce the spines) are 1/16-3/16″ (3-5 mm) around, producing 1-15 spines 1/16-¼″ (2.5-7.6 mm) long. On the upper part of the columns, areoles are ¼-½″ (7.6-15 mm) around. Each areole includes 20-75 spines 1-4″ (3-10 cm) long. It is these long, white, hairlike spines the give the cactus its common names. Flowers are cream-colored to bright pink, about 1½″ (3.8 cm) across. Flowers usually bloom at night. Fruits are small, spiny red berries, which are edible. (Note: there is another old man cactus too!) Online References:
The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Forest and Kim Starr’s Starr Environmental site The Arizona Sonora Desert Museum Sonoran Desert Digital Library
5/24/2009 · Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson, Arizona · ≈ 2 × 1½′ (67 × 45 cm) Pachycereus schottii description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.
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5/24/2009 · Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson, Arizona · ≈ 3½ × 2½″ (9.3 × 6.2 cm)
5/25/2009 · Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Superior, Arizona · ≈ 4½ × 7′ (1.5 × 2.2 m) Range: Zones 9-10:
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