Acanthocereus tetragonus

(L.) Hummelinck

Barbed-wire cactus

Cactaceae Edible: Fruit, Stems 6,586 iNaturalist observations

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Summary

Acanthocereus tetragonus is a species of cactus that is native to Florida and the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas in the United States, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America. The species is invasive in New Caledonia. Common names include night-blooming cereus, barbed-wire cactus, sword-pear, dildo cactus, triangle cactus, and Órgano-alado de pitaya (Spanish). The miniature cultivar is known as fairy castle cactus. It was originally described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 as Cactus tetragonus but was moved to the genus Acanthocereus in 1938 by Pieter Wagenaar Hummelinck.

Description

A shrub or small tree. It grows 5 m tall. There are prickles along the stem. The leaves are twice divided and there are 8-18 pairs of pinnae. There are up to 50 pairs of pinnules on each pinnae. The flowers are yellow. They are in large clusters at the ends of branches. The pods are flattened.

Edible Uses

The bright red fruits are juicy and sweet and can be eaten raw. They are ovoid to oblong, measuring 30–80mm long. Young, tender stems are edible when cooked.

Traditional Uses

The ripe fruit are eaten raw. They are sweet. The tender stems are cooked and eaten.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

None known

Distribution

It is a tropical plant. It grows in sandy soils in dense thickets. It grows up to 10 m above sea level. It needs bright light. It needs a temperature above 13°C.

Where It Grows

Antilles, Asia, Belize, Caribbean, Central America, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curacao, Dominica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Hawaii, Honduras, Indonesia, Martinique, Mexico*, Nicaragua, North America, Pacific, Panama, SE Asia, South America, Trinidad, USA*, Venezuela, West Indies,

Cultivation

Plants can be grown from seeds and cuttings.

Propagation

Seed

Other Uses

This cactus often forms impenetrable, spiny thickets in coastal hammocks. It is cultivated as an ornamental, and a miniature cultivar known as the Fairy Castle Cactus produces many curved branches resembling the turrets of a castle. It is also used in carbon farming as a living fence.

Notes

There are 6 Acanthocereus species.

Synonyms

Acanthocereus acutangulus (hort ex Pfeiffer) A. Berg.Acanthocereus floridanus Small ex Br. & RoseAcanthocereus pentagonus (L.)Br. & RoseAcanthocereus pitajaya (DC.) Dugand ex CrozatAcanthocereus princeps (Pfeiffer) BackenbergCactus pentagonus LCactus prismaticus Willd.Cactus tetragonus L.Cereus pentagonus (L.) Haw.Cereus princeps PfeifferCereus tetragonus L.(Mill.)Cereus acutangulus hort. ex. Pfeiffer

Also Known As

Barbwire acanthocereus, Cruceta, Cushicuri, Jacube, Jacubo, Kaktus segitiga, Pitaya, Chaco, Nun-tsutsuy, Organo, Pitahaya, Pitahaya anaranjada, Pitahaya morada, Triangle cactus

References (19)

Anderson, E.F., 2001, The Cactus Family, Timber Press. p 107
Bircher, A. G. & Bircher, W. H., 2000, Encyclopedia of Fruit Trees and Edible Flowering Plants in Egypt and the Subtropics. AUC Press. p 5 (As Acanthocereus pentagonus) and (As Acanthocereus colombianus)
Chizmar Fernandez, C., et al, 2009, Plantas comestibles de Centroamerica. Instituto de Biodiversidad, Costa Rica. p 137
Facciola, S., 1998, Cornucopia 2: a Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, p 63
Flora of North America. www.eFloras.org

Show all 19 references

Hermandez Bermejo, J.E., and Leon, J. (Eds.), 1994, Neglected Crops. 1492 from a different perspective. FAO Plant Production and Protection Series No 26. FAO, Rome. p14
Innes, C. and Glass, C., 1997, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Cacti. Sandstone Books. p 19
Global Plants JSTOR
Lopez-Diago, D. & Garcia, N., 2021, Wild edible fruits of Colombia. Biota ColomBiana 22 (2) p 34
Martin, F. W., et al, 1987, Perennial Edible Fruits of the Tropics. USDA Handbook 642 p 84
Morton,
Piedra-Malagón, E. M. et al, 2022, Edible native plants of the Gulf of Mexico Province. Biodiversity Data Journal 10: e80565 p 15
Roa, J. A. G. & Boada, D. S. G., 2018, Fundación para el Fortalecimiento de la Fruticultura y Plantas Alimenticias no Convencionales en Colombia.
Segura, S. et al, 2018, The edible fruit species in Mexico. Genet Resour Crop Evol (2018) 65:1767–1793
Standley, P. C. & Record, S. J., 1936, The Forests and Flora of British Honduras. (Belize). p 273 (As Cereus pentagonus)
Succulenta (Leeuwarden) 20:165. 1938
Torre, de la, L., et al, 2008, Enciclopedia de las Plantas Útiles del Ecuador. Herbario QCA. Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador. p 267
Usher, G., 1974, A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable. p 15
World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew