Jasminocereus (meaning "jasmine-like cereus", referring to the flowers) is a genus of cacti with only one species, Jasminocereus thouarsii, endemic to the Galápagos Islands, territorially a part of Ecuador. In English it is often called the candelabra cactus (a name used for other cacti with a similar appearance). At maturity it has a branched, treelike habit, and may be up to tall. The stems are made up of individual sections with constrictions between them. Its creamy white to greenish flowers open at night and are followed by greenish to reddish fruits. Description Jasminocereus thouarsiii is a leafless treelike cactus growing to tall, with green or greenish yellow branching stems made up of individual sections long. The trunk and branches have 11–22 ribs. The areoles have up to 35 spines, each up to long. The spines vary in colour from white through to black, darkening with age. The flowers, borne singly, open at night, and are up to across, with many creamy white to yellow or olive green petals and numerous stamens. The fruit is a berry, greenish to reddish purple in colour, containing many black seeds. Three varieties are recognized by some sources; they are said to vary in height, flower texture and fruit colour, among other features. Varieties Three varieties are sometimes recognized: Jasminocereus thouarsii var. thouarsii has flowers that are not waxy and green fruits. It is usually under tall. It occurs on the islands of Floreana, Isabela, San Cristóbal and Santa Cruz. Jasminocereus thouarsii var. delicatus (E.Y.Dawson) E.F.Anderson & Walk. has flowers that are not waxy and reddish purple fruits. It is found on Santa Cruz and Santiago, and is said to be the species most likely to be seen by visitors to the Galápagos. Jasminocereus thouarsii var. sclerocarpus (Schum.) E.F.Anderson & Walk. has waxy flowers and green fruits, and the largest number of spines per areole. It occurs only on Fernandina and Isabela. Following David Hunt et al. in 2006, the IUCN Red List does not recognize any varieties. Taxonomy The nomenclature of the genus and species is somewhat tangled. In 1899, Frédéric Weber described two species, Cereus thouarsii and Cereus galapagensis. His descriptions are brief and refer in part to information received from others; he also notes that neither the flowers nor the fruit of Cereus galapagensis were known. The specific epithet thouarsii refers to Abel Aubert du Petit-Thouars, who found both species some 30