Synonymy
Cereus rosaceus de Candolle (1828) Prodr. 3:471 nom. nud.
Cereus pteranthus Link & Otto (1834) Allg. gartenz. 2:209
Cereus nycticallus* Link (1834) Ver. Bef. Gartenb. 10:372
Cereus brevispinulus Salm-Dyck (1834) Hort. Dyck. 339
Cereus antoninii Pfeiffer (1837) Enum. Cact. 114 nom. nud.
Cereus peanii Beguin in Rebut (1894) Monatsschr. Kakteenk. 4:173 nom. nud.
Cereus nothus hort. Gruson  (1894) Monatsschr. Kakteenk. 4:173 nom. nud.
Cereus nycticallus gracilior Haage in Förster (1846) Handb. Kakt. 143 nom. nud.
Cereus nycticallus viridior Salm-Dyck (1850) Cact. Hort. Dyck 1849. 51. 216.
Selenicereus pteranthus (Link & Otto) Britton & Rose (1909) Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 12:431
Selenicereus kunthianus sensu Britton & Rose?
Selenicereus pteranthus v. gracilior (Haage) Diguet (1928) Cact. Utiles Mex. 216
Selenicereus pteranthus v. viridior (Salm-Dyck) Diguet (1928) Cact. Utiles Mex. 216

*Although the usual spelling of this name is nyctacalus, it was originally spelled by Link as it is here.

Ethymology
Pterantus (greek) = winged flower. Could refer to the winglike tepals or to the wined stems from which the flower arises.

History
When it was first descripted it was only known from cultivated plats and specimens escaped from gardens. It is naturalized in many areas, but thought to have originated in E Mexico.

K. Schumann's illustration of S. pteranthus  in Gesamtb. kakteen 1897, is fact S. coniflorus.

Origin and habitat
E Mexico (Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Tabasco). Usually terrestrial on rocks and cliffs, sand dunes and sandy areas at low elevations . Widely naturalized and its true origin in not known for sure.

Systematics
Very variable and probably conspecific with the several of the species in the grandiflorus-complex. Differs from S. coniflorus in its much sorter spines which are conic. S. boeckmannii has brownish floral hairs (rather than white).

Cultivation
An easily cultivated, fast growing plant. Needs a compost containing plenty of humus and sufficient moisture in summer. Should not be kept under 8ºC (46,5ºF) in winter. Can be grown in semi-shade, but best in full sun. Extra light in the early spring will stimulate budding. Flowers in late spring or early summer on stems longer than 1 m. By far the most common species in cultivation, regulary sold as S. grandiflorus from which its easily recognized, though closely related to.

Hybrids
Information on the hybrids will be added later.

Description
Stems scandent, clambering or sprawling, branching, producing aerial roots, stiff, to 3-5 m long or more, 3-5 cm thick; ribs 4-6, on young branches sometimes 2-3 mm high, later terete, obtuse or rounded; areoles 1,5-3 mm in diameter, with white wool, internodes 2-2,5 cm, young areoles with short white hairs; spines 1-5, 1-3 mm long, brownish, acicular with bulbous bases, nearly circular in cross section; epidermis glaucous green with ribs flushed purple or more or less purplish throughout, smooth.
Flowers produced from year-old areoles or older, 25-32 cm long, 20-22 cm in diameter, nocturnal, fragrance vanilla-like, but also reported as scentless;  pericarpel covered with long white, silky hairs and bristles 10-12 mm long; receptacle 12,5-13 cm long, swollen above, 5 cm thick; outer tepals linear, 12 cm long, rotate-recurved, reddish brown on the outside, yellowish on the inside; inner tepals spathulate-oblong, acuminate, 3-4 cm broad above, forming a broad cup, exceeding the stamens, white; stamens reclinate, those of the throat circle less so, greenish or cream colored, the lower group attached for 7-8 cm, with filaments 8-12 cm, the upper group a throatcircle with filaments 6 cm long, anthers cream; style 20 cm long, yellowish green, bronzed above, think but weak, stigma lobes c 15, linear, expanded, longer than tepals.
Fruit globular, red, 6-7 cm, covered densely with yellowish spines 10-12 mm and with darker, bristles; seeds black, cuneate-obovate, rather elongate 2,25 mm long, 1,3 mm broad, 1mm thick, hilum oblique.

Contains: hordenine