Cereus \Ce"re*us\, n. [L., a wax candle, fr. cera wax. So named from the resemblance of one species to the columnar shape of a wax candle.]

(Bot.) A genus of plants of the Cactus family. They are natives of America, from California to Chili.

Note: Although several species flower in the night, the name Night-blooming cereus is specially applied to the Cereus grandiflorus, which is cultivated for its beautiful, shortlived flowers. The Cereus giganteus, whose columnar trunk is sometimes sixty feet in height, is a striking feature of the scenery of New Mexico, Texas, etc.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)