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Selenicereus spinulosus
Also called Vinelike moonlight cactus, Nightblooming Cereus, Pitayita-nocturna Espinosa
A climbing or sprawling night-blooming cactus from eastern Mexico that produces large, fragrant white flowers at night. It is grown as a succulent climber and is among the easiest Selenicereus to bring into flower.
Selenicereus spinulosus is a cactus species native to eastern Mexico and, possibly, the lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas in the United States. Common names include vine-like moonlight cactus and spiny moon cereus. Its specific name, spinulosus, means "with small spines" in Latin.
Plants ca 1 m long are capable of flowering. Give half-shade or full sun, and grow in a compost containing plenty of peat. During the growing period this plant needs ample water and regular doses of fertilizer. Fast growing and free flowering. Can be kept at 5 °C (41 °F) during winter, if kept dry. It is the easiest species to bring to flower in cultivation.
This species is found in eastern Mexico from Tamaulipas to Chiapas. Other sources claim that this species can be found in the states of Texas, Coahuila, Nuevo León and Tamaulipas. Plants were collected from the lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas in the United States, but this population may have been extirpated as it has not been seen outside of cultivation in some time. The specimen is commonly found growing on top of sun-exposed limestone outcrops as well as climbing on other plants in the sierra madre oriental hillsides and submontane matorral (scrub).
Nightblooming cactus · Fishbone Cactus · Selenicereus costaricensis · Queen of the night · Selenicereus hamatus · Selenicereus megalanthus · Selenicereus setaceus · Nightblooming Cactus · Moonlight cactus
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Selenicereus spinulosus by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
