Heliabravoa

Morphological Summary

Heliabravoa is a monotypic genus of columnar cacti from Mexico established by botanist Helia Bravo-Hollis and D.K.Cox. Its single species, H. chende, is a medium columnar tree of the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley (Oaxaca, Puebla, and Morelos), designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Morphologically it approaches Polaskia and Escontria; some authors treat Heliabravoa chende as Polaskia chende. The plants form branching columns to 8 m with nocturnal white flowers and edible reddish fruits called "chende" in Mixtec, from which the vernacular name comes.