Myrtillocactus cochal
(Orcutt) Britton & Rose
Cochal
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) Jim Apriletti, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Jim Apriletti
iNaturalist· cc-by
(c) als93, some rights reserved (CC BY)
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) Erik Meling, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
Summary
Source: WikipediaMyrtillocactus cochal, the cochal or candelabra cactus (a name it shares with other plants), is a species of flowering plant in the family Cactaceae, native to the Baja California peninsula. Individuals can reach 3 m (10 ft), and are hardy to USDA zone 9b.
Description
A tree like cactus. It has dense branches. The trunk is usually short. The plant grows 1-3 m high. The stems are blue-green with 5 to 6 ribs. They may or may not have a central spine. There are 5-6 black spines in a ring. The flowers are pale green to white. They open during the day and night. They are 2.5 cm long and 2.5 cm wide. The fruit are round and red. They are 1.2-1.8 cm across. They are edible.
Edible Uses
The round red fruit are eaten fresh.
Distribution
A tropical plant. It suits hardiness zones 10-12.
Where It Grows
Australia, Central America, Mexico, North America,
Other Information
It is a cultivated food plant.
Synonyms
Also Known As
Cochol
References (7)
- Anderson, E.F., 2001, The Cactus Family, Timber Press. p 473
- Cundall, P., (ed.), 2004, Gardening Australia: flora: the gardener's bible. ABC Books. p 909
- Fouqué, A. 1972. Espèces fruitières d'Amérique tropicale. Institut français de recherches fruitierès outre-mer
- Hernandez-Lopez, D., et al, 2008, Myrtillocactus (cactaceae): botanical, agronomic, physicochemical and chemical charasteristics of fruits. Fruits, Vol. 63, p. 269-276
- Kermath, B. M., et al, 2014, Food Plants in the Americas: A survey of the domesticated, cultivated and wild plants used for Human food in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean. On line draft. p 566
Show all 7 references Hide references
- Moerman, D. F., 2010, Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press. p 352
- Segura, S. et al, 2018, The edible fruit species in Mexico. Genet Resour Crop Evol (2018) 65:1767–1793
