Characters of South American material
In the 2018 revision of the S. griseus complex, South American plants were described as candelabra trees reaching up to 9 m. Stems bore seven to nine ribs, and the areoles generally had five to seven radial spines and one central spine, occasionally three. These characters describe the material assigned to this name by the authors and compared with Mexican members of the complex [Alvarado-Sizzo et al. 2018].
Flowers and seasonality
In the account of the South American group, flowers opened at night and remained open until the following morning. They measured 5.6 to 6 cm in length, with white or pinkish white inner perianth segments. Ripe fruit were dark red and split open to reveal sweet red pulp. Flowering and fruiting occurred through the year, with a peak from November to April [Alvarado-Sizzo et al. 2018].
Genetic evidence and historical names
Comparisons between populations from northern South America and Mexican material linked the name S. griseus to a defined set of genetic and morphological characters. Mexican populations distinguished as S. huastecorum had a different genetic profile and a more elaborate spine arrangement. The provenance of studied plants and the taxonomic concept used by the authors therefore help establish how historical records apply to the species [Alvarado-Sizzo et al. 2018].
Materials from the author's archive
The species also appears in Konrad Szychowski's private material archive [Rodríguez Ortega and Franco 2001].
Synonyms and names in the literature
Cactus eburneus · Cereus clavatus · Cereus deficiens · Cereus eburneus · Cereus eburneus var. clavatus · Cereus eburneus var. monstrosus · Cereus eburneus var. polygonus · Cereus griseus · Cereus polygonatus · Griseocactus griseus · Griseocereus griseus · Lemaireocereus deficiens · Lemaireocereus eburneus · Lemaireocereus griseus · Neogriseocereus griseus · Neolemaireocereus griseus · Pilocereus deficiens · Rathbunia deficiens · Rathbunia grisea · Rathbunia grisea f. cristata · Rathbunia grisea var. monstrosa · Ritterocereus deficiens · Ritterocereus griseus · Stenocereus deficiens · Stenocereus griseus f. cristatus · Stenocereus griseus var. monstrosus [2-WWW]