Sun Cactus

An Illustration of Heliocereus speciosus, commonly called Sun Cactus in English and Santa Marta, Nopalillo, or Pitaya de Cerro in Spanish. It is native to Mexico and Central America. It has thorny ribbed stems that grow up to a meter long. Its flowers are scarlet red or white an bear cactus fruit.

The illustration is by noted botanical illustrator Mary Emily Eaton (1873-1961). Born in England and trained formally in art, Eaton began illustrating natural subjects while visiting family in Jamaica. She moved to New York in 1911 where she became the principal illustrator for The New York Botanical Garden, producing hundreds of plates. The illustration shown here comes from her illustration work for The Cactaceae by Britton & Rose, a publication on cactus taxonomy that is still considered an important scientific work today. Hundreds of Eaton’s works are part of the collections of the The New York Botanical Garden, the National Geographic Society, and the Smithsonian Institution.

The Cactaceae Vol. 2 Pl. 17, Fig. 2 Britton, N.L. and Rose, J.N. Heliocereus speciosus (Cactaceae). U.S.A., New York Botanical Garden; flowering branch. - 16 Jun 1913.