cereus

ce·re·us

C0212100 (sîr′ē-əs)n. Any of various cacti that belong to or formerly belonged to the genus Cereus, such as a night-blooming cereus.

[New Latin Cēreus, genus name, from Latin cēreus, candle (from its shape), from cēra, wax; see cerate.]

cereus

(ˈsɪərɪəs) n1. (Plants) any tropical American cactus of the genus Cereus, esp C. jamacaru of N Brazil, which grows to a height of 13 metres (40 feet)2. (Plants) any of several similar and related cacti, such as the night-blooming cereus[C18: from New Latin, from Latin cēreus a wax taper, from cēra wax]

ce•re•us

(ˈsɪər i əs)

n., pl. -us•es. any of various plants of the genus Cereus, of the cactus family, having large, usu. white, funnel-shaped flowers. [1720–30; < New Latin, Latin cēreus wax candle cēra wax]

Thesaurus

Noun

Cereus - genus of much-branched treelike or shrubby cacti with pronounced ribs and rounded needlelike spines and nocturnal flowers usually whitegenus Cereuscaryophylloid dicot genus - genus of relatively early dicotyledonous plants including mostly flowersCactaceae, cactus family, family Cactaceae - constituting the order Opuntialesnight-blooming cereus - any of several cacti of the genus Cereus

cereus

enUK

cereus:

see cactuscactus,
any plant of the family Cactaceae, a large group of succulents found almost entirely in the New World. A cactus plant is conspicuous for its fleshy green stem, which performs the functions of leaves (commonly insignificant or absent), and for the spines (not always
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Cereus

a genus of treelike, shrubby, or—less commonly—spreading plants of the family Cactaceae. The plants range from 1.7 to 20 m in height and from 7 to 40 cm in diameter. The stems usually have large ribs bearing clusters of spines that reach 20 cm in length. The large, funnel-shaped flowers are solitary and nocturnal; their coloration is white or, less commonly, pink or red. The floral tube is long and bears numerous scales. After flowering, the perianth falls off but the style remains on the ovary for a long time. The fruits—red or yellow berries—are edible in some species.

Cereus was one of the first cacti known to Europeans; it is depicted in Tabernaemontanus’ herbarium of 1588. As a result of the latest research, the genus has been reclassified as several different genera. There are about 40 species, distributed in the Greater and Lesser Antilles and in Central and South America. The cacti grow in savannas, along sandy seacoasts, along the edges of forests, and in rocky deserts. A number of ridged and craggy forms are known. The plants are cultivated as ornamentals, and, in their native habitats, their wood is used as fuel. C. peruvianus f. monstrosus is raised as a houseplant. Cereus is propagated by seeds and cuttings.

R. A. UDALOVA

Cereus

Related to Cereus: Bacillus cereus

noun

Synonyms for Cereus

noun genus of much-branched treelike or shrubby cacti with pronounced ribs and rounded needlelike spines and nocturnal flowers usually white

Synonyms

genus Cereus

Related Words

caryophylloid dicot genus
Cactaceae
cactus family
family Cactaceae
night-blooming cereus