Autor: Akers & Johnson
” Blue Wax candle “, referring to the typical blue colour of the epidermis of the genus.
A genus of erect sturdy plants, usually sparsely branched, reaching up to 10 m high, glaucous, with a bluish epidermis (blue-green in A. viridis). First branches appearing from 1 m high. Ribs are tuberculate at the areoles, spines are strong, more numerous in the flowering area.
Flowers nocturnal, tubular, slightly curved and scaly, white, with a foul odour, pollinated by bats. Floral tube brown, bearing ciliate scales. Fruits dry when ripe. Seeds shiny, black.
The genus Azureocereus grows endemically in Peru, growing In full sun, in valleys, on sandy plains or rocks, sometimes being a part of a woody shrub vegetation (A. viridis), between 1500 m and 2500 m in altitude.
Peru (Apurimac, Ayacucho, Cuzco).
Currently, 3 recognised species:
– Azureocereus columnaris (Ritter) J.Lodé 2014
– Azureocereus hertlingianus* (Backeb.) Backeb. 1956
– Azureocereus viridis Rauh & Backeb. 1957