Common Name:
senita
Family Name:
Cactaceae
Botanical Name:
Pachycereus schottii
Sub Species:
Variety:
Forma:
Cultivar:
Characteristics:
This columnar cactus has many stems up to eight inches wide and 15 feet high; branching from the base. Each stem has five to ten ribs. Upper sections of adult stems produce spine clusters (areoles) with 15 to 50 bristle-like gray spines one to four inches long. These are very different from the short-spined, lower portions of the stem. Flowers are produced mostly from the upper stems. Pale pink flowers one and a half inch wide open after dark and close around dawn. The fruits reach one and a half inch in diameter and are spineless red and fleshy when mature.
Compound:
Pac sch
Geographic Origin:
Northwestern Mexico
Ecozone Origin:
Nearctic
Biome Origin:
Natural History:
The genus name Pachycereus means "crested cereus" and the species schottii is in honor of Arthur Schott (1814-1875), who worked with the Mexico Boundary Commission as a plant collector. The flowers are pollinated by a small moth specialized to live its life cycle on this cactus. Its spines presumably provide protection from herbivores but are also thought to shade the delicate green surface of the plant, protecting it from sun burn. They also direct water droplets down to the base of the plant, which is maybe an efficient way to harvest water in the foggy coastal desert of Baja. A bizarre mutant form of Senita, called the Totem Pole cactus essentially lacks spines and has smooth knobby irregular stems. This form occurs in Baja California and is sometimes cultivated as an ornamental in Arizona.
Cultivation Notes:
The senita has a slow growth rate, but can become quite large and difficult to relocate after is has been established. It requires low amounts of water and is hardy, suffering at temperatures below 18℉. The senita does well in fully sunny conditions.
Ethnobotany:
Its name is Spanish, borrowed from Indian name, sina (3). Senita roughly translates in Spanish to “little old woman” (3). The tipais used this for treatment of diabetes (4), and for food as the fruit can be eaten fresh. This plant has been traded by the Seri, Tohono O’odham, Hiá ced O’ohdam, Eudeve, and River Pima (4). In addition to its medicinal and dietary uses the wood of Senita was used as a construction material. The Seri believe the Senita to have a very powerful spirit given by the spirit of vegetation Icor. The spirit of the Senita was consulted for placing curses that would eventually lead to sickness and death of an enemy. The senita has landscape value outstanding by itself, in fact an entire landscape could be developed around one astounding specimen. It is also commonly used as a container plant.
Height:
16 - 20 feet
Width:
16 - 20 feet
Growth Rate:
Moderate Growing
Grow Season:
Spring
Flower Season:
Summer
Color:
Pink
Function:
Spread:
Non-spreading
Allergen:
Non-allergenic
Invasive:
Benign
Toxicity:
Benign
Hardy:
Hardy
Water Use:
Low water Use
Citations:
1. Mielke, Judy. Native Plants for Southwestern Landscapes. University of Texas Press, 1993.
2 http://www.delange.org/CactusSenita/CactusSenita.htm May 7th 2015
3. Phillips, Steven J. and Comus, Patricia Wentworth. A Natural History of the Sonoran Desert. Tucson: Arizona‐Sonora Desert Museum Press, 2000. Print.
4. Hodgson, Wendy C. Food Plants of the Sonoran Desert. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 2001. Print.
