Cactus and succulent atlas

Acanthocalycium hoevenii

Acanthocalycium hoevenii is a small solitary cactus from Salta Province in Argentina. Its flattened stem, oval areoles and red flowers with pale tepal margins form a characteristic combination. Walter Rausch described it in 2009 as Lobivia hoevenii. [2-WWW] [Grätz 2009]

Acanthocalycium keuhhasii is a globose cactus from La Rioja Province in Argentina. Its pale greyish surface, angular rib segments and yellow flowers edged in orange distinguish Rausch’s material from typical Acanthocalycium thionanthum. The original description appeared under the name Lobivia kuehhasii. [2-WWW] [Grätz 2009]

Acanthocalycium klinglerianum comes from the Bolivian lowlands. Its green globose stem has sharp ribs and conspicuous woolly areoles. Martín Cárdenas described the species as Echinopsis klingleriana, and POWO now accepts its placement in Acanthocalycium. [2-WWW] [Ettelt and Riedel 2006]

Acanthocalycium leucanthum

Acanthocalycium leucanthum produces long white flowers above a ribbed stem that becomes elongated with age. Biological literature commonly treats it as Echinopsis leucantha. Studies from Argentina document its association with sheltering shrubs and the contribution of daytime animals to pollinating flowers that open at night. [2-WWW] [Almirón and Martínez Carretero 2010] [Gorostiague and Ortega-Baes 2017]

Acanthocalycium rhodotrichum

Acanthocalycium rhodotrichum forms short ribbed columns and large white flowers with a long tube. Its native range covers parts of central and southern South America. Detailed work on a Brazilian Chaco population, published under Echinopsis rhodotricha, connects nocturnal flower opening with insect activity the following morning. [2-WWW] [Ferreira et al. 2018]

Acanthocalycium spiniflorum

Acanthocalycium spiniflorum has a distinctly ribbed green stem and flowers in pink, pale purple and white. Initially globose plants can elongate with age. The species is associated with Argentine mountain ranges and has long been cultivated under several names now united in one taxonomic treatment. [2-WWW] [1-WWW] [Chiapella and Demaio 2015]

Acanthocalycium thionanthum

Acanthocalycium thionanthum is a cactus of mountain valleys in northwestern Argentina, recognizable by its predominantly sulphur-yellow flowers. Near Angastaco, populations can open most mature buds in a brief flush following the first rain ending the dry season. Detailed observations connect bud development, water availability and fruit maturation within a seasonal reproductive rhythm. [2-WWW] [Eggli and Giorgetta 2017]

A Jalisco endemic with low ribs and stems that become purple during the dry season. [González-Zamora et al. 2021] [2-WWW]

Acanthocereus canoensis is a shrubby cactus from the vicinity of Tegucigalpa in Honduras. Its glaucous green stems have six or seven rounded ribs. Deep pink flowers open before dawn and remain open through part of the morning. Tuberous roots and a small known range link the species to the seasonally dry forests of central Honduras. [House et al. 2013]

Acanthocereus castellae is a shrubby cactus of western Mexico. Its stem structure changes during development. Young portions usually have five or six ribs, whereas mature stems have three. Relatively broad stems and long central spines are also useful identifying features. The species occurs from Jalisco to Guerrero. [2-WWW] [González-Zamora et al. 2026]

Acanthocereus chiapensis forms shrubs with glaucous green stems, broad rounded ribs and rigid spines. Its pale flowers open at night. The species occurs from Chiapas in Mexico through Guatemala to Honduras, in seasonally dry tropical environments. [House et al. 2013] [Vega et al. 2023] [2-WWW]

A cactus from coastal Jalisco described in 2026. Its adult stems are slender and cylindrical, whereas juvenile stems have three or four ribs. Morphological and DNA analyses separated it from populations previously identified as Acanthocereus rosei. [González-Zamora et al. 2026]

Acanthocereus cuixmalensis is a succulent shrub of western Mexico associated with seasonally dry tropical vegetation. Young stems have more ribs than mature growth. Among related species, it is distinguished by the combination of four or five ribs on mature stems and conspicuous, relatively long central spines. [2-WWW] [González-Zamora et al. 2026]

Acanthocereus fosterianus forms shrubs with slender succulent stems and a tuberous underground system. It occurs in southern Mexico, in Guerrero, Oaxaca and Chiapas. Its stems change during development, from ribbed juvenile portions to slender cylindrical mature growth. [2-WWW] [González-Zamora et al. 2026]

Acanthocereus haackeanus is an accepted species name in POWO. The plant is treated as a scrambling succulent subshrub or shrub. Its origin is recorded there as Mexico with a question mark. The most securely documented part of its history concerns cultivated material and the establishment of a nomenclatural type. [2-WWW] [Lodé 2016]

Acanthocereus hesperius is a Mexican cactus occurring in Oaxaca. POWO describes it as a scrambling succulent shrub or subshrub associated with the seasonally dry tropical biome. Older accounts refer to the plant as Peniocereus occidentalis. [2-WWW] [Korotkova et al. 2017]

Acanthocereus hirschtianus is a slender-stemmed Central American cactus with nocturnal whitish or cream flowers. Its range includes Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. The species played an important part in clarifying relationships between cacti formerly placed in Peniocereus and the genus Acanthocereus. [2-WWW] [House et al. 2013] [Arias et al. 2005]

A Honduran endemic with pink nocturnal flowers. It grows on steep limestone slopes and cliffs in forests containing oaks and pines. The original description documents changes in stem ribbing, phenology and a small known population. [Vega et al. 2023] [2-WWW]

Acanthocereus macdougallii is a shrubby succulent of southern Mexico, occurring in Oaxaca and Chiapas. The species is relevant both to cactus phylogeny and to the history of plant chemistry. Material studied under the former name Peniocereus macdougallii yielded the sterol named macdougallin. [2-WWW] [Knight et al. 1966]

Acanthocereus maculatus combines three-ribbed adult stems with a conspicuously mottled epidermis. It is a shrubby cactus with a tuberous root system, occurring in central and southwestern Mexico. Fieldwork in Guerrero provided a detailed comparison with other ribbed-stemmed Acanthocereus. [González-Zamora et al. 2026] [2-WWW]

Acanthocereus oaxacensis is a slender-stemmed branched cactus from Oaxaca, Mexico. Its original description records ribbed stems, numerous slender spines and flowers that are whitish inside and purplish or reddish outside. Modern documentation also shows structural differences between juvenile and mature stem portions. [2-WWW] [Britton and Rose 1920] [Arias et al. 2005]

A Jalisco endemic described in 2020. Ribbed juvenile stems develop into slender cylindrical adult segments. This change in growth form and spine characters help identify the species. [González-Zamora et al. 2020] [2-WWW]

Acanthocereus rosei, as treated in the 2026 study, is a slender shrubby cactus from Sinaloa with cylindrical adult stems and a conspicuously mottled epidermis. Juvenile portions are ribbed. Comparison with similar plants from coastal Jalisco led to the recognition of Acanthocereus crypticus and a more precise application of the name Acanthocereus rosei. [González-Zamora et al. 2026]

Acanthocereus tepalcatepecanus is a shrubby cactus of western and southern Mexico. Juvenile stems are ribbed, whereas mature growth is cylindrical, relatively thick and conspicuously mottled. The species occurs in Jalisco, Michoacán and Guerrero. Modern research compares its structure with molecular evidence of relationships. [2-WWW] [González-Zamora et al. 2026]