Hypertext Webster Gateway: "Cereus"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
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.
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.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
Cereus
n : genus of much-branched treelike or shrubby cacti with
pronounced ribs and rounded needlelike spines and
nocturnal flowers usually white [syn: {Cereus}, {genus
Cereus}]
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