Cephalocereus senilis (Bunny cactus)

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Cephalocereus senilis (Haworth) Pfeiffer 1838

Bunny cactus, old man cactus, old man of Mexico, veijo, white Persian cat cactus

These cacti are natives of the Mexican states of Hidalgo and Guanajuato.

Plants: Forming tall columns up to 49′ (15 m) high, and branching only at the base, these cacti make an imposing statement. Columns contain 20-30 ribs, and are up to 12″ (30 cm) in diameter. Fine white spines in groups of 20-30, are 2–4½″ (6–12 cm) long. In addition, pseudocephalia resembling very fine dense white hair appears initially on one side, then covering the entire top of each column—hence the name “old man cactus.” These hairs help to shield the cactus from the heat. (There is another old man cactus too though.

Flowers: Funnel-shaped flowers 2½–3½″ (7–9 cm) around are pink, tinged with yellow.

Fruits: Roughly oval, ⅞–1″ (2.5–3 cm) around.

Habitats: Limestone hiils of Hidalgo and Guanajuato.

References:

Anderson, Edward F., The Cactus Family, Timber Press, 2001, p. 140

Online References:

Desert-tropicals.com

The University of Connecticut Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Plant Growth Facilities

CactiGuide.com

Wikimedia Commons

Cactus senilis Haworth 1824
Cereus senilis (Haworth) A. P. de Candolle 1828
Pilocereus senilis (Haworth) Lamaire 1839

2/24/2010 · San Diego (Quail) Botanic Garden, Encinitas, California

1/5/2026 · Islands in the Sea of Cortez, Mexico

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin)
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Caryophyllidae	Cacti, many other succulents, carnivorous plants, and leadworts
Order	Caryophyllales	Includes cacti, carnations, amaranths, ice plants, and many carnivorous plants
Family	Cactaceae	Succulent (water-storing) plants, often spiny
Genus	Cephalocereus	From Greek kephale, “head,” and cereus, “waxy” (unconfirmed)
Species	senilis	“Old,” for the white hairs

About plant names...

Range: Zones 9-10:

About this map...

Cephalocereus senilis description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.