CephalocereusPalmeri01

Plants of Mexico

Cephalocereus Palmeri

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Plate 271b Plate 271c

Plate 271d Plate 271e

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Cephalecereus Palmeri: Wooly torch, Billy Goat, Bald old man, Pilocereus palmeri

These photos were made in Mid-January 2003 at Playa Ventanilla, Oaxaca

The Woolly Torch stems have 7 or 8 ribs. The large areoles are very woolly. The hairs are up to 1.6 inches long (4 cm). The thick central spine is over 1 inch long (2.5 cm). It is surrounded by 7 to 12 shorter radial spines.
The area where the flowers will grow has much denser hair than the rest of the stem. It is called a pseudo-cephalium. The 3 inches long (8 cm) funnel-shaped flowers are light pink inside, reddish green outside. They are followed by red fruit with red pulp and black seeds.