About Stenocereus martinezii (J.G.Ortega) Buxb.
Stenocereus martinezii is an arborescent cactus that grows 5 to 7 meters tall. It usually forms a trunk up to 1 meter high with a maximum diameter of 25 centimeters. Its shoots are mostly cylindrical, 8 to 20 centimeters in diameter, with 10 to 12 ribs that bear prominent dark reddish-brown areoles. Most individuals have one central spine, though some have two or three; these spines grow horizontally or slightly angled sideways, and are 2 to 5 centimeters long. The species also has 4 to 9 radial spines, with up to 11 occasionally present; these grayish spines are normally 2 to 6 millimeters long, and may reach up to 12 millimeters. The flowers of Stenocereus martinezii are funnel-shaped, with whitish to yellowish coloring. They open at night and stay open through the next day, measuring 5 to 7 centimeters long and 3.1 to 6.6 centimeters across. The cactus produces spherical to egg-shaped green fruits that are 3 to 4.5 centimeters in diameter. Fruits turn red when ripe, and have red flesh inside. This species grows in dry deciduous forests and valleys in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, usually at around 100 meters elevation. It occurs alongside Ceiba aesculifolia, Parkinsonia praecox, Pachycereus pecten-aboriginum, and Stenocereus alamosensis.
