Stenocereus gummosus

Stenocereus gummosus is a flowering plant in the family Cactaceae that is found in Baja California, Mexico at elevations of 9 to 134 meters

Description
Stenocereus gummosus is a shrub-like plant with sparsely branched trunks reaching a height of up to 3 meters, longer trunks bend due to their weight. Stems are green-gray with 8-9 ribs. Areoles are large with 3-6 central spines and 8-12 radial spines.

The flowers of Stenocereus gummosus are white to pink or purple, up to 20 cm long with a diameter of up to 8 cm, its fruits are in the form of small oranges of light red color. The main flowering period is summer, but flowering can also occur at other times of the year after rainfall. Fruits are subglobose with red flesh. The brown seeds reach a length of 2.5 mm.

Distribution
Stenocereus gummosus is widespread in the Baja California peninsula but absent at higher elevations and in the arid Northeast. Other deposits can be found on offshore islands and in the coastal area of the Sonoran Desert.

Taxonomy
The first description as Cereus gummosus was in 1889 by Townshend Stith Brandegee. Arthur Charles Gibson and Karl E. Horak placed the species in the genus Stenocereus in 1979. Other nomenclature synonyms include Lemaireocereus gummosus (Engelm. ex Brandegee) Britton & Rose (1909), Machaerocereus gummosus (Engelm. ex Brandegee) Britton & Rose (1920), and Rathbunia gummosa (Engelm. ex Brandegee) P.V.Heath (1992).