Barbados Shrub

Pereskia aculeata is cultivated as an ornamental, both for its edible fruits and fragrant flowers (though the scent is considered unpleasant by some). The species has escaped from cultivation in seven counties in Florida: Brevard, Dade, Indian River, Manatee, Highlands, St. Lucie, and Palm Beach, and it is established in Willacy County, near the southernmost tip of Texas (J. Ideker 1996).

This species was first introduced to China in 1901.

Shrubs or vines, clambering, 3-10 m. Stems to 3 cm diam., spiny; areoles to 15 mm diam., largest on basal portion of stem. Leaves lanceolate to ovate or oblong, 4.5-11 × 1.5-5 cm, 0.5-1 mm thick. Spines of 2 kinds; primary spines (= first formed) 2 per areole, recurved, clawlike, 4-8 mm; secondary spines to 25 per older areole, straight, 10-35 mm. Flowers to 70 in terminal or lateral inflorescences, fragrant, 3 × 2.5-5 cm; pedicels 5-15 mm; tepals perigynous; scales and areoles on prominent to inconspicuous tubercles; perianth whitish to light pink. Fruits yellow to orange, spheric, not angled, 40 × 15-25 mm, never proliferating. Seeds lenticular, 4.5-5 mm diam., glossy. 2n = 22.

Shrubs, at first erect, later clambering, 3-10 m tall. Areoles cushionlike and to 15 mm in diam. on trunk, 1.5-2 mm in diam. on twigs. Spines 1-3 per areole, on main branches acicular and straight, 1-4(-8) cm, on young branches additionally with 2 short, broadly based, recurved spines for climbing. Petiole 3-7 mm; leaf blade green or abaxially purplish, ovate, elliptic, or obovate, 4.5-7(-10) × 1.5-5 cm, glabrous, base cuneate to rounded, margin entire, apex shortly acuminate or acute; lateral veins 4-7. Flowers 3-4 cm in diam., fragrant (diosmin); pedicel 5-10 mm. Sepaloids pale green, ovate or obovate. Petaloids white to pale yellow, obovate to spatulate, 15-20 × 6-8 mm, margin entire, apex acute to truncate. Filaments white or golden, 5-7 mm; anthers yellow, 1-1.2 mm. Ovary superior; style white, 10-11 mm; stigmas 4-7, white, 3-4 mm. Fruit light yellow, obovoid or globose, 1-2 cm, spines eventually deciduous. Seeds 2-5, lenticular, 4.5-5 mm in diam., 1.4-1.6 mm thick.

introduced; Fla., Tex.; West Indies; South America.

Flowering summer-fall (Aug-Oct).

Disturbed shell middens (Fla.), riparian woodlands with fine, sandy loam (Tex.); 0-50m.

Thickets beside railways; near sea level. S Fujian (Xiamen) [native to tropical America and the West Indies; widely introduced and escaped in tropical regions].

Cactus pereskia Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 469. 1753

Cactus pereskia Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 469. 1753.