The Floristic Inventory of South Florida
Conservation of rare plants, animals, and ecosystems

Family: Cactaceae

Group: Dicot

Substrate: Terrestrial

Habit: Shrub

Perennation: Perennial

Native Range: South Florida and the West Indies (Cuba, Bahamas).

Map of select IRC data for peninsular Florida

Florida Natural Areas Inventory State Status: Critically Imperiled

IRC SOUTH FLORIDA Status: Critically Imperiled

SOUTH FLORIDA Occurrence: Present

SOUTH FLORIDA Native Status: Native

South Florida History and Distribution: Ranked as critically imperiled in Rare Plants of South Florida (Gann et al. 2002; pp 496-497) based on four occurrences in two conservation areas (Long Key State Park, National Key Deer Refuge) and three non-conservation areas (privately owned Layton Hammock, privately owned Teatable Hammock and privately owned hammock on Lower Matecumbe Key) in the Monroe County Keys. New plants have been found at Key Tree Cactus Preserve on Upper Matecumbe Key in Islamorada and Teatable Hammock is now protected within Lignumvitae Key State Park. Plants at the remaining two private parcels are considered possibly extirpated.

SOUTH FLORIDA Cultivated Status: Cultivated

Comments: For a recent taxonomic revision of this and other Caribbean Pilosocereus, see Franck et al. (2019). For a current review of P. robinii, see the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Species Profile. See also our Natives For Your Neighborhood website and Florida Natural Areas Inventory's Field Guide to the Rare Plants of Florida page (Chafin 2000). For a digitized image of Elbert Little's Florida range map, visit the Exploring Florida website. Some records of this in South Florida may refer to P. millspaughii.

Synonyms: P. bahamensis; Pilosocereus polygonus, misapplied.