About Stetsonia coryne (Salm-Dyck) Britton & Rose
Stetsonia coryne (Salm-Dyck) Britton & Rose is a large, tree-like cactus that can reach heights between 5 to 8 meters, and may grow as tall as 12 meters. It has a thick, short trunk approximately 40 centimeters in diameter, which produces numerous erect or slightly bent branches. Young shoots are blue-green, aging to a greenish-gray color; they are typically unjointed and measure 9 to 10 centimeters in diameter. This cactus has 8 to 9 blunt-edged, slightly notched ribs that stand 1 to 1.5 centimeters high. Its spines are straight and stiff. One thick-based central spine grows 2 to 8 centimeters long, while 7 to 9 spreading marginal spines reach up to 3 centimeters long. Spines are black or yellowish-brown, and eventually turn white with a dark tip. Flowering occurs from October to April, producing white, funnel-shaped flowers up to 15 centimeters in diameter. The flowers open at night and often stay open through the following day. The pericarp is covered in numerous overlapping, roof-tile-like structures, and the long corolla tube bears scattered scales. Fruiting takes place from January to May, producing 4-centimeter diameter ovoid, fleshy, scaled berries. The edible fruits range in color from green to reddish, and retain a drooping floral remnant. The broadly oval, shiny blackish-brown seeds are 1.7 millimeters long and 1 millimeter wide, with a humped shape marked by a fine wrinkled pattern. Stetsonia coryne is distributed in high-altitude arid regions, including the deserts and dry Gran Chaco forest of northwestern Argentina, as well as in Bolivia, Paraguay, and the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul.
