Deamia testudo
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Deamia testudo | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Cactaceae |
| Subfamily: | Cactoideae |
| Genus: | Deamia |
| Species: | D. testudo |
| Binomial name | |
| Deamia testudo (Karw. ex Zucc.) Britton & Rose[1] | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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Deamia testudo is a species of flowering plant in the family Cactaceae, native from southern Mexico through Central America to Nicaragua.[1] It was first described in 1838.[2] It is a climber or clamberer, with long stems and large white flowers.
Deamia testudo clambers over or hangs from rocks, or climbs or hangs from trees. It produces roots along its stems by which it clings tightly to its support. The stems are made up of segments up to 25 cm (10 in) long and 8 cm (3 in) in diameter. The stems usually have three ribs, although there may be up to eight. The ribs are thin and wing-like, about 1–3 cm (0.4–1.2 in) high. The areoles have up to 10 or more brownish spines, each 1–2 cm (0.4–0.8 in) long. The flowers have a long thin base and widely spread white tepals. Altogether the flower is about 25 cm (10 in) long and 15 cm (6 in) across.[3][4] The fruits of the cactus, which are red in color, are covered in spines.[5]
