Kingdom Plantae Family Cactaceae Scientific name Pereskia grandifolia Rank Species | Order Caryophyllales Genus Pereskia Higher classification Pereskia | |
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Similar Cactus, Pereskia, Pereskia bleo, Pereskia aculeata, Pereskia sacharosa | ||
Pereskia grandifolia cactus
Pereskia grandifolia (rose cactus; syn. Cactus grandifolius Link, Rhodocactus grandifolius (Haw.) F.M.Knuth, Cactus rosa Vell.) is a cactus native to the Northeastern Brazil restingas.
Contents
This plant is often used as a medicinal plant and an ornamental plant. In addition, it has edible leaves.
Pereskia grandifolia and nursery plant
Description
Although Pereskia grandifolia is a cactus by classification, it takes the form of a shrub or small tree, 2–5 metres (6.6–16.4 ft) in height. It has a grayish-brown trunk up to 20 cm in diameter. The areolees are rounded cushion-shaped grayish or brownish tomentum; on the twigs they are 3-7 mm diameter and up to 12 mm on the main trunk. The spines range from black to brown, the number at each areole gradually increasing with age; new twigs can have spineless areoles, while the trunk areoles may have up to 90 spines, each 2-6.5 cm long.
The leaves vary in size from 9-23 cm long, entire, with shapes ranging from elliptic to ovate and obovate-lanceolate.
The dense inflorescence develops at the ends of stems, usually with 10-15 flowers, but sometimes with 30 or more. The flowers are showy and rose-like, 3-5 cm in diameter.