About Pilosocereus jamaicensis Proctor
Pilosocereus jamaicensis Proctor has greyish stems, ranging from glaucous grey to glaucous green, that bear 9–16 ribs. Its branches are typically upright. Areoles on this cactus have rigid spines that can grow up to 5 cm (2.0 in) long. Flowering areoles produce dense tufts of silky hairs that reach up to 2 cm (0.8 in) long, and non-flowering areoles do not have these silky hairs. The flowers measure 5–7 cm (2.0–2.8 in) long, with green or pinkish green outer tepals and white inner tepals. The fruit of this species is red. Pilosocereus jamaicensis is native to Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. Researchers have suggested that the plants growing in the Cayman Islands may represent a distinct separate species: populations from western Cayman Brac and Little Cayman appear to lose their silky hairs by the time flowers and fruits mature, while populations from eastern Cayman Brac do not. In Jamaica, populations of Pilosocereus jamaicensis occur on the northern and southern coasts, as well as in the country's interior centre.
