Facheiro Azul
Pilocereus pachycladus
Family: Cactaceae
This is a spectacular blueish silver plant that develops woolly tops reaching over 30’ in habitat. They can develop a singular trunk or branch at the base. The flowers are more or less funnel-shaped whitish with greenish or reddish outer segments. They emerge in summer at night and continue into the next day. The fruit is reddish purple, flattened globular, with dry flowers remnants; the pulp is magenta or red and the fruit opens at maturity by lateral splits.
This plant needs to be protected from frost and should be planted in a protected microclimate like a courtyard. It can tolerate full to part sun, and low water—once or twice a month in summer. In containers, water 1-2 times a week. Keep dry in winter, especially during cold weather.
Flowers are bat and moth pollinated. The fruits are edible to people, birds, and other animals and insects.
The genus name, Pilocereus, comes from the Latin word pilosus, which means "hairy", and cereus which means torch—referring to the woolliness that develops on these plants. The species name, pachycladus, comes from the Greek words pachy-, meaning "thick", and cladus, meaning "branches". The taxonomy on this species is confusing. The World Flora Online (WFO) Plant List does not even list this species (either as a current taxon or former) and places Pilocereus into the genus Cephalocereus.
Native to dry, desert shrublands of Brazil's caatinga biome.
This species is probably has the most blueish coloration of any cactus. Photo by Brian Williams, iNaturalist
The flowers open at night and continue into the next day. Photo by Lorran Manoel, iNaturalist
This newly developed fruit will turn reddish purple, flattened globular, with dry flowers remnants; the pulp is magenta or red and the fruit opens at maturity by lateral splits. Photo by Lorran Manoel, iNaturalist
Plants can get enormous. Photo by Arthur Macedo, iNaturalist