Pilosocereus chrysostele aka Yellow Phallus Catcus

Pilosocereus chrysostele is a cactus from northeastern Brazil. It belongs to Cactaceae, the cactus family. Kew gives its home as a tropical place with dry seasons. This means dry weather forms part of its native climate. The RHS states that it is not native to Britain. It is not native to Ireland either. These records describe where the plant comes from. They do not tell us how to grow it in a garden.

Kew calls this plant a succulent with a tree-like shape. A succulent is a plant that stores water. The sources give no height for a full-grown plant. They give no spread, or width, at that stage either. Nor do they describe this species’ stems or spines. They give no details of its flowers or fruit. The RHS does describe the wider genus, a group of related species. That account does not show what this species looks like.

This plant has had other names in the past. These include Cereus chrysostele and Cephalocereus chrysostele. Another older name is Pilocereus chrysostele. LLIFLE also gives the name Pseudopilocereus chrysostele. It lists this as a synonym, or another name for the same species. Its species account gives a chromosome count of 2n = 22. Chromosomes are the parts of cells that carry genes. The count is a fact from that account, not a guide to care.

The sources give no growing guide for this species. They set no hardiness limits, or limits on the cold it can bear. Its home has dry seasons, but that fact alone is not enough. It does not show how much water a garden plant needs. The native climate and a garden watering plan are not the same thing. The evidence therefore does not give a basis for watering advice for this species.

The sources give no facts about pests or plant diseases. They also give no facts about uses in the landscape. There is no basis here to say which parts people can eat. Nor do the sources show whether any parts are toxic. A lack of such facts does not prove the plant is safe. This evidence leaves both food use and toxicity unresolved.