Cereus

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Cereus \Ce"re*us\, n. [L., a wax candle, fr. cera wax. So named
     from the resemblance of one species to the columnar shape of
     a wax candle.] (Bot.)
     A genus of plants of the Cactus family. They are natives of
     America, from California to Chili.
     [1913 Webster]


  
     Note: Although several species flower in the night, the name
           {Night-blooming cereus} is specially applied to the
           {Cereus grandiflorus}, which is cultivated for its
           beautiful, shortlived flowers. The {Cereus giganteus},
           whose columnar trunk is sometimes sixty feet in height,
           is a striking feature of the scenery of New Mexico,
           Texas, etc.
           [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  Cereus
       n : genus of much-branched treelike or shrubby cacti with
           pronounced ribs and rounded needlelike spines and
           nocturnal flowers usually white [syn: {genus Cereus}]