Selenicereus brevispinus

Synonymy
Selenicereus brevispinus Britton & Rose (1920) The Cactac. 2: 201

Ethymology
Brevispinus (lat.) = short-spined. The spines of this species are only a few mm long.

History
A very rare species and probably not in cultivation at present.

Description
Stem scandent, clambering or sprawling, branching, producing aerial roots, rather stout, very long or more, 2-3 cm thick; ribs 8-10, separated by narrow intervals, undulating; areoles on prominences, circular with short tawny wool; spines ca 12, conic, stiff, ca 1 mm long, the 3-4 centrals thicker than the somewhat curved or hooked radials, bristles from lower part of areole 6 or more, longer than spines, hairlike, many white hairs on growing stems; epidermis light green, smooth.
Flowers 25 cm long; receptacle and pericarpel with spines and long white hairs and spreading, 4-6mm long bracteoles; outer tepals narrow, in 2-3 series, brown abaxially, greenish brown adaxially, inner series often yellowish; inner tepals shorter, very broad, pure white, entire, acute; stamens numerous, included; syle not projected beyond the stamens, 17-18 cm long, stigma lobes linear, about 20.
Fruit and seeds not known.

Photograph by Dough Wechle at location Cuba, Zapata Swamp, Bermeja

Origin and habitat
N Cuba. Often epiphytic. Very rare. After the first heavy rains of the wet season, it quickly and synchronously blooms.

Systematics
This species is closely related and maybe conspecific with S. grandiflorus, mainly different in its short spines, larger flowers and white floral hairs and may just represent a shot spines fase of that species.

Cultivation
No records, but probably easily cultivated as the rest of the West Indian species. Probably not in cultivation - cacti grown under this name are probably something else.

Photograph by C. F. Baker