Xiquexique gounellei

Xiquexique gounellei is a species of plant in the genus Xiquexique of the cactus family. Common names include "Alastrado", "Chique-Chique", "Xique-Xique" and "Xique-Xique das Pedras".

Description
Xiquexique gounellei grows as a shrub and rarely as a tree, branches out numerously from a trunk and reaches heights of growth of 0.5 to 4 meters. The upright shoots become crooked or even horizontal with age. They are olive green, sometimes glaucous, and range from 3.7 to 9 centimeters in diameter. Young shoots appear near the top of the main shoot. There are 8 to 15 ribs with transverse ridges. The opaque to translucent spines are golden to reddish or brown or gray. The 1 to 10 ascending to protruding central spines are 1 to 13 centimeters (rarely up to 16 centimeters) long. The spread 10 to 20 radial spines lie on the surface of the shoots and are 6 to 30 millimeters long. The flowering part of the shoots is weak to strong and is located near the tip of the shoot. The flower buds are completely surrounded by long, silky hairs.

The funnel-shaped white flowers are 4 to 9 centimeters long and reach a diameter of 2.5 to 6 centimeters. The spherical to depressed spherical fruits are 4.5 to 6 centimeters in diameter, fissure at their base or near the apex, and contain magenta or white flesh.

Distribution
Xiquexique gounellei is widespread in northeastern Brazil in the Caatinga vegetation.

The species is classified as Least Concern (LC) in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Taxonomy
The first description as Pilocereus gounellei was published in 1897 by Frédéric Albert Constantin Weber. Pâmela Lavor and Alice Calvente placed the species in the genus Xiquexique in 2020. Other nomenclature synonyms are Cephalocereus gounellei (F.A.C.Weber) Britton & Rose (1920), Cereus gounellei (F.A.C.Weber) Luetzelb. (1926), Pilosocereus gounellei (F.A.C. Weber) Byles & G.D.Rowley (1957) and Pseudopilocereus gounellei (F.A.C.Weber) Buxb. (1968).

The specific epithet gounellei honors the French entomologist Pierre-Émile Gounelle (1850–1914).