About Pilosocereus lanuginosus (L.) Byles & G.D.Rowley
Pilosocereus lanuginosus has bluish to greenish stems that are strongly glaucous and bear 9 to 13 ribs. Its branches typically grow upward, and sometimes grow completely upright. The areoles of this cactus produce rigid spines that can reach up to 3 cm (1.2 in) long; these spines are golden yellow when young, and often spread out and overlap with one another. Flowering areoles develop dense tufts of silky hairs that grow up to 3 cm (1.2 in) long, while non-flowering areoles have very few hairs. The flowers themselves are 5–7 cm (2.0–2.8 in) long, with glaucous green outer tepals and white inner tepals. The fruit produced by Pilosocereus lanuginosus is red. This species is native to Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao, which are part of the Leeward Islands. In the World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, Bonaire and Curaçao are grouped together as the Netherlands Antilles.
