Loxanthocereus sextonianus

Loxanthocereus sextonianus is a species of Loxanthocereus found in Peru.

Description
Loxanthocereus sextonianus grows as a shrub with mostly prostrate, underground shoots and reaches lengths of up to 1.5 meters with diameters of 3 centimeters with 13 ribs. The areoles on the stem are small and close together with thin, radiating spines are pink to yellow to brown. The spines are difficult to distinguish between central and radial spines. The 1 to 3 central spines are up to 3 centimeters long, the 8 to 30 radial spines are up to 5 millimeters long.

The heavily crooked, red flowers are 5 to 6 centimeters (rarely up to 8 centimeters) long. Its pericarpel and flower tube are loosely furred brown. The more or less spherical, green fruits reach a diameter of 1.5 to 2 centimeters.

Distribution
Loxanthocereus sextonianus is widespread in the Peruvian regions of Ica, Ayacucho and Arequipa at altitudes of 200 to 1500 meters.

Taxonomy
The first description as Erdisia sextoniana was made in 1936 by Curt Backeberg. Myron William Kimnach placed the species in the genus Borzicactus in 1960. Further nomenclature synonyms are Borzicactus sextonianus (Backeb.) Kimnach.(1931), Cereus sextonianus Backeb. (1933), Cleistocactus sextonianus (Backeb.) D.R.Hunt (2003), Echinopsis sextoniana (Backeb.) Mayta (2015).