Galapagos Species Database

The Galapagos Species Database shares the information about the species from our Natural History Collections.

Jasminocereus thouarsii (F.A.C. Weber) Backeb.

candelabro, cactus candelabro, cacto esbelto, cirio, candelabra cactus

Photo: .
Photo: .

Unique species of the genus Jasminocereus, endemic to the Galápagos Islands. Arboreal cactus that grows up to 5 metres tall, with succulent, erect columnar stems covered in spines. It produces large, usually yellow flowers that bloom at specific times of the year and are pollinated mainly by insects. The fruits are red and serve as food for various local birds.

Taxonomy

Domain
Eukaryota

Kingdom
Plantae

Phylum
Magnoliophyta

Class
Magnoliopsida (= Dicotyledoneae)

Order
Caryophyllales

Family
Cactaceae

Genus
Jasminocereus

Species
thouarsii

Taxon category: Species with Infraspecific Taxa

Syn.: Jasminocereus thouarsii var. thouarsii (F.A.C. Weber) Backeb.; Syn.: Cereus thouarsii Weber

Origin: Endemic

Status

Endangered

Distribution

Distribution: This species is widely distributed across six islands and several islets. It has three varieties: sclerocarpus on Isabella and Fernandina Islands; thouarsii on San Cristóbal and Santa María Islands; delicatus on Santiago and Santa Cruz Islands. It has probably declined on certain islands due to predation by introduced animals.

References

  • Atkinson, I. A. E. (1987) Algunas consideraciones sobre la cartografía y clasificación de la vegetación en las Islas Galápagos. Memorias. Taller de Investigación Botánica y Manejo en Galápagos. Pg. 114- 131.
  • Atkinson, R. Guézou, A. & Jaramillo, P. (2009) Siémbrame en tu jardín - Plantas nativas para jardines en Galápagos. Fundación Charles Darwin, Puerto Ayora, Galápagos, Ecuador, 151 pp.
  • Davis, S. (1987) El centro mundial para el monitoreo de la conservación y las floras insulares amenazadas. Memorias. Taller sobre investigación Botánica y Manejo en Galápagos. Pg. 304-314
  • Fosberg, F. R. (1987) Vegetación inalterada en Fernandina, 1964 Memorias. Investigación Botánica y Manejo en Galápagos. Pg. 66-74
  • Guerrero, A. Tye, A. (2009) Darwin's Finches as seed predators and dispersers. The Wilson Journal Of Ornithology 121 (4):752-764, 2009
  • Howell, J.T. (1933) The Cactaceae of the Galapagos Islands. Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci. 21(5): 41-54.
  • Itow, S. (1997) List of Plant Specimens collected in the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador. Bulletin of the Faculty of Liberal Arts, Nagasaki University, Natural Science, 38 (1): 53-144.
  • Jaramillo, P. Trigo, M. M., Ramírez, E. &Mauchamp, A. (2010) Insect Pollinators of Jasminocereus thouarsii, an endemic cactus of the Galapagos Islands. Galapagos Research 67: 21-25.
  • Jaramillo, P. (1998) Distribución Espacial de la Vegetación Vascular y Dispersión de Especies Introducidas dentro del Parque Nacional Galápagos. Tesis de Doctorado en Biología, Universidad Central del Ecuador. Especialización ECOLOGIA DE POBLACIONES.
  • Jørgensen, P.M. León-Yánez, S. (eds.) (1999) Catalogue of the Vascular Plants of Ecuador. Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 75. Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis, 1181 pp.
  • Lundh, J.P. (1995) Some additional information and comments on the Annotated Check list of Vascular Plants of the Galapagos Islands by Lawesson, Adsersen and Bentley. Charles Darwin Research Station, unpublished.
  • McMullen, C.K. (1999) Flowering plants of the Galapagos. Cornell University Press, Ithaca and London, 370 pp.
  • Restrepo, A. Bush, M., Correa-Metrio, A., Conroy, J., Gardener, M. R., Jaramillo, P., Steinitz-Kannan, M., Overpeck, J. & Colinvaux, P. (2011) Impacts of climate variability and human colonization on the vegetation of the Galápagos Islands. Ecology: 1-42.
  • Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Missouri Botanical Garden (eds.) (2013) The Plant List, Version 1.1. Published on the Internet; http://www.theplantlist.org/ (accessed 1st January).
  • Schofield, E.K. (1984) Plants of the Galapagos Islands. Field Guide and Travel Journal. Universe Books, New York, 159 pp.
  • Schönitzer, K. (1975) Galápagos Plants. Privately Published, Quito: 1-43.
  • Tropicos.org. (2017) Database of Missouri Botanical Garden. Tropicos.org. Missouri Botanical Garden. 06 Oct 2017 <http://www.tropicos.org
  • Valencia, R. Pitman, N., León-Yánez, S. & Jørgensen, P.M. (2000) Libro Rojo de las Plantas Endémicas del Ecuador. Herbario QCA, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador. Ecuador 2000 i–iv, 1–489.
  • Wiggins, I.L. Porter, D.M. (1971) Flora of the Galapagos Islands Standford University Press, Stanford.

You are welcome to download and use the information found in this page, acknowledging its source.

This page should be cited as follows:

"Galapagos Species Database, Jasminocereus thouarsii", dataZone. Charles Darwin Foundation, https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/en/checklist/?species=1254. Accessed 13 October 2026.