Plants · La Saladita, Guerrero

Indian Comb

Pachycereus pecten-aboriginum

Spanish: Cardón / Órgano

Pachycereus pecten-aboriginum (commonly known as hairbrush or Indian comb) is a columnar cactus plant native to Mexico. They can grow up to 15 meters high. The trunk of this species is 1.2 to 5 meters tall and the fruits are large and burlike. The species name, pecten-aboriginum, is from the Latin, and means "native combs". It was inspired by the use of the fruits as hair combs.

TaxonomyMagnoliopsida › Caryophyllales › Cactaceae

Local records24 research-grade observations within about 50 km of La Saladita (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones)

Global records8,060 on iNaturalist

Most recent records2024 – 2026

Months of the 8 most recent records

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Recent local sightings

2026-04-27 — observation by vicente47506
2026-02-16 — observation by joe_dirt
2025-10-12 — observation by adanml
2025-08-08 — observation by angellinaresc
2025-05-30 — observation by cesarynadamas
2025-05-10 — observation by parkerwilkerson

Interactive card with more photos, sounds and similar species Plants guide iNaturalist Wikipedia

Cite as: “Indian Comb (Pachycereus pecten-aboriginum) at La Saladita”, La Saladita Field Guide, lasaladita.com/species/pachycereus-pecten-aboriginum/, updated 2026-09-26. Observation counts and months come from iNaturalist research-grade records within about 50 km of 17.8375°N, 101.7606°W (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones); summary text from Wikipedia where present.