About Stenocereus gummosus (Engelm.) A.C.Gibson & K.E.Horak
Stenocereus gummosus (Engelm.) A.C.Gibson & K.E.Horak is a shrub-like cactus that develops sparsely branched trunks, which can reach up to 3 meters in height. Longer trunks bend under their own weight. Stems are green-gray and marked with 8 to 9 ribs. Areoles are large, bearing 3 to 6 central spines and 8 to 12 radial spines. Flowers range in color from white to pink or purple, growing up to 20 cm long and up to 8 cm in diameter. Fruits are subglobose, with red or purple pericarps and red flesh, and resemble small, light red oranges when mature. The main flowering period occurs in summer, but flowering can also happen at other times of the year following rainfall. Brown seeds of this species reach up to 2.5 mm in length.
This species is widespread across the Baja California peninsula, though it is absent from higher elevations and the arid Northeast region. It grows in coastal areas and scrublands on valleys and slopes, between 0 and 850 meters in elevation. Additional populations occur on offshore islands and in the coastal zone of the Sonoran Desert. It is commonly found growing alongside the following species: Bursera microphylla, Neltuma articulata, Larrea divaricata, Fouquieria diguetii, Lophocereus marginatus, Myrtillocactus cochal, Olneya tesota, Stenocereus thurberi, and Pachycereus pringlei. Seeds are dispersed by birds and lizards, including specifically Melanerpes uropygialis, Dipsosaurus dorsalis, and Ctenosaura hemilopha.
