Virginia Tech Dendrology

sprawling torch Cactaceae Soehrensia thelegona (F.A.C.Weber) Schlumpb. symbol:
Leaf: Reduced to a pale gray spine, central spine(s) up to 2 inches and lateral spines 1/2 inch, displayed in vertical rows along the bark ridges, areole clusters of 6-10 spines 1/2 inch apart; can be so dense that the stem appears downy.
Flower: Attractive, white, funnel-shaped, 4 inches across, blooming at night during late spring to early summer, appearing at the branch tips.
Fruit: A nearly round berry, densely thorny, 2 inches, green ripening to red.
Bark: A green, leathery thick skin with up to 12 prominent vertical ridges.
Form: Clustered, unbranched column-like branches sprawling from a central point, to 3 feet tall and 6 feet long, individual stems approximately 4 inches in diameter.

Additional Range Information: Soehrensia thelegona is planted in the USDA hardiness zones shown above and is not known to widely escape cultivaton. Download the full-size PDF map.
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All material 2021 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; range map source information