Virginia Tech Dendrology

senita cactus Cactaceae Pachycereus schottii (Engelm.) D.R. Hunt symbol: PASC14
Leaf: Reduced to a spine but often completely lacking spines, when present they are up to 4 inches, displayed in vertical rows along the bark ridges, areole clusters of up to 75 spines approximately 1 inch apart, may be so long and densely arranged as to appear hairy.
Flower: Attractive, creamy white to pink, 1 1/2 inches across, blooming at night for most of the summer, persisting for less than 24 hours.
Fruit: A small cylindrical to oval berry, spiny, red with a red pulp, edible.
Bark: A green, leathery thick skin with 5 to 10 prominent vertical ridges.
Form: Clustered, column-like branches sweeping upward from a central point, to 12 feet tall, clumps to 10 feet wide, individual stems approximately 6 inches.
Looks like: Andes organ pipe - organpipe cactus

Additional Range Information: Pachycereus schottii is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. See states reporting senita cactus.
External Links: USDA Plants Database
All material © 2018 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654