Harrisia aboriginum
Small ex Britton & Rose
Prickly apple-cactus
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(c) Jason Sharp, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), uploaded by Jason Sharp
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(c) reptispence, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
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(c) Matthew Salkiewicz, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Matthew Salkiewicz
Summary
Source: WikipediaHarrisia aboriginum (commonly known as the west-coast prickly apple, prickly applecactus, yellow prickly apple, and aboriginal prickly apple) is a species of columnar cactus endemic to peninsular Florida, on the Gulf Coast of the counties of Lee, Sarasota County, and Charlotte. Only 12 occurrences are known, and the species is threatened by horticultural collection, shading from fire suppression, competition from invasive flora, and most of all habitat destruction. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.
Description
A subtropical cactus with round, yellow fruit.
This description is brief — help expand it
Edible Uses
The globose yellow fruit is edible. Harrisia fruits generally contain a sweet, edible, white pulp with hundreds to thousands of tiny seeds embedded in the pulp. The yellow, globose fruit is around 60 - 75mm in diameter.
Distribution
It is a subtropical plant.
Where It Grows
North America, USA,
Cultivation
The genus Harrisia is found in semi-arid tropical to subtropical regions of the Americas, growing in both the northern and southern hemispheres. There is usually a dry season at the cooler part of the year that can last up to 6 months. Annual precipitation is generally around 500 - 1,200mm. In the northernmost part of its range, in Florida, and in its southwestern range in Argentina and Bolivia, it experiences occasional freezing temperatures, and in cultivation light frosts (1-2 per year) experienced by species in Florida, seemed well-tolerated and not detrimental. The flowers open of a night time and are sweetly scented to attract bats and moths.
Propagation
Seed - usually germinates quickly and well without pre-treatment, though fresh seed may have a short dormancy of up to 8 weeks, Washing the seed in water prior to sowing can shorten germination time. Cuttings. Vegetative reproduction is frequent in nature when stems break and detach from the parent plant. The stems can proceed to produce roots along tissue nearest to the ground and produce a new plant.
Synonyms
References (1)
- 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 405
