Common Name:

General Information

Acanthocereus chiapensis is a spiny, evergreen, shrubby cactus, usually branching from the base, and growing 170 - 350cm tall from a tuberous rootstock. Individual stems are up to 400cm long and 11cm in diameter.
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food.
Acanthocereus chiapensis has experienced a population decline of more than 30% in the past 60 years (generation length is 20 years) and habitat loss and severe fragmentation is continuing within its limited range. While this species tolerates some disturbance, it cannot survive in significantly modified habitats such as agricultural areas. The plant is classified as 'Vulnerable' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2017)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

C. America - Honduras, Guatemala; Southern N. America - southern Mexico (Chiapas)

Habitat

Tropical dry and semi-dry deciduous forest; at elevations from 500 - 1,300 metres[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Vulnerable
Edibility Rating
Habit	Evergreen Shrub
Height	2.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw[]. Fruits almost spherical or obovoid, tuberculate, bright-red when mature, 35 - 55mm long, 23 - 40mm in diameter when mature.

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -

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