Cipocereus minensis

Cipocereus minensis is a species of Cipocereus found in Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Description
It is a columnar cactus grows shrubby with branched, columnar, green shoots and reaches heights of up to 2 meters tall with stems 2 to 5 centimeters in diameter and 10-15 ribs with around 20 spines. The round areoles are covered with white or brownish wool. They give rise to greyish-white or yellowish thorns that darken over time. The 1 to 4 conspicuous central spines, occasionally there are more, are up to 2.5 centimeters long. The 8 to 16 radial spines have a length of 1 to 2 centimeters. It has greenish-white nocturnal flowers, up to 7 cm long and 3 cm in diameter, followed by a blue fruit, spherical in shape when ripe and smooth.

Subspecies

 * Cipocereus minensis subsp. leiocarpus N.P.Taylor & Zappi
 * Cipocereus minensis subsp. minensis

Distribution
Cipocereus minensis is a cactus species endemic to Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Taxonomy
It was first described as Cereus minensis by Erich Werdermann in 1933. The specific epithet "minensis" refers to its occurrence in Minas Gerais. In 1979, Friedrich Ritter reclassified the species into the genus Cipocereus.