Cumulopuntia sphaerica

(C.F.Först.) E.F.Anderson

Cactaceae

+ Synonyms

Austrocylindropuntia sphaerica (C.F.Först.) G.D.Rowley

Cumulopuntia crassicylindrica (Rauh & Backeb.) F.Ritter ex Eggli

Cumulopuntia kuehnrichiana (Werderm. & Backeb.) F.Ritter

Cumulopuntia multiareolata (F.Ritter) F.Ritter

Cumulopuntia rauppiana (K.Schum.) F.Ritter

Cumulopuntia tubercularis F.Ritter

Cumulopuntia tumida F.Ritter

Opuntia campestris Britton & Rose

Opuntia corotilla aurantiaciflora (Rauh & Backeb.) G.D.Rowley

Opuntia crassicylindrica (Rauh & Backeb.) G.D.Rowley

Opuntia dimorpha C.F.Först.

Opuntia fulvicoma bicolor (Rauh & Backeb.) G.D.Rowley

Opuntia kuehnrichiana Werderm. & Backeb.

Opuntia kuehnrichii Backeb.

Opuntia leonina F.Haage & E.Schmidt ex C.F.Först. & Rümpler

Opuntia mira (Rauh & Backeb.) G.D.Rowley

Opuntia muelleriana (Backeb.) G.D.Rowley

Opuntia rauppiana K.Schum.

Opuntia sphaerica C.F.Först.

Opuntia staffordiae Bullock

Opuntia tumida (F.Ritter) D.R.Hunt

Sphaeropuntia sphaerica (C.F.Först.) Guiggi

Tephrocactus bicolor (Rauh & Backeb.) Rauh

Tephrocactus campestris (Britton & Rose) Backeb.

Tephrocactus corotilla aurantiaciflorus Rauh & Backeb.

Tephrocactus crassicylindricus Rauh & Backeb.

Tephrocactus dimorphus (C.F.Först.) Backeb.

Tephrocactus fulvicomus bicolor Rauh & Backeb.

Tephrocactus kuehnrichianus (Werderm. & Backeb.) Backeb.

Tephrocactus leoninus (F.Haage & E.Schmidt ex C.F.Först. & Rümpler) Backeb.

Tephrocactus mirus Rauh & Backeb.

Tephrocactus muellerianus Backeb.

Tephrocactus multiareolatus F.Ritter

Tephrocactus pseudorauppianus Backeb.

Tephrocactus rauppianus (K.Schum.) Backeb.

Tephrocactus sphaericus (C.F.Först.) Backeb.

Tephrocactus staffordiae (Bullock) Backeb.

Common Name: Choclo

No Image.

General Information

Cumulopuntia sphaerica is a spiny, succulent, evergreen cactus. A small, fragile, prostrate to semierect, moderately
branched plant with stems made up of globose segments around 25 - 60mm long; it forms a clump or loose cushion around 10 - 20cm tall[

1915

Title: Ethnobotany of the Andes
Publication
Author: Bussmann R.W. & Paniagua-Zambrana N.Y. (Editors)
Website: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28933-1
Publisher: Springer Nature; Switzerland
Year: 2020
ISBN: 978-3-030-28932-4
Description

1987

Title: The Cactus Family
Publication
Author: Anderson E.F.
Publisher: Timber Press; Portland, Oregon
Year: 2001
ISBN: 0-88192-498-9
Description: An excellent work, giving botanical descriptions of virtually all the cacti, together with their range (but not their habitats) and sometimes also a photo. it also contains a long chapter detailing the many uses of cacti and another on cultivation..

].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food.
Cumulopuntia sphaerica has a wide distribution, high abundance, is present in several protected areas and is not affected by any threat. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[

338

Title: IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Publication
Author
Website: http://www.iucnredlist.org/
Publisher
Year: 0
ISBN
Description: A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

1987

Title: The Cactus Family
Publication
Author: Anderson E.F.
Publisher: Timber Press; Portland, Oregon
Year: 2001
ISBN: 0-88192-498-9
Description: An excellent work, giving botanical descriptions of virtually all the cacti, together with their range (but not their habitats) and sometimes also a photo. it also contains a long chapter detailing the many uses of cacti and another on cultivation..

Range

S. America - western and southern Peru

Habitat

Open, sunny areas on level ground and on sunny slopes, often up to the tree-line; at elevations from sea level to 3,500 metres[

338

Title: IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Publication
Author
Website: http://www.iucnredlist.org/
Publisher
Year: 0
ISBN
Description: A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Habit	Evergreen Perennial
Height	0.15 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Cumulopuntia sphaerica is a plant of low to high elevations, growing in somewhat dry areas with a dry season that can last 3 - 5 months and often with a mean annual rainfall of less than 350mm[

338

Title: IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Publication
Author
Website: http://www.iucnredlist.org/
Publisher
Year: 0
ISBN
Description: A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.

].
In cultivation, Cactus plants generally will not succeed in moist climates. They usually require a sunny position in a well-drained, circumneutral soil and to be kept more or less dry in the dormant season[

200

Title: The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
Author: Huxley. A.
Publisher: MacMillan Press
Year: 1992
ISBN: 0-333-47494-5
Description: Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

].
Cumulopuntia sphaerica is an invasive species with an increasing population[

338

Title: IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Publication
Author
Website: http://www.iucnredlist.org/
Publisher
Year: 0
ISBN
Description: A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.

Edible Uses

The fresh fruits are edible and sweet tasting[

1915

Title: Ethnobotany of the Andes
Publication
Author: Bussmann R.W. & Paniagua-Zambrana N.Y. (Editors)
Website: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28933-1
Publisher: Springer Nature; Switzerland
Year: 2020
ISBN: 978-3-030-28932-4
Description

]. The relatively dry, globose fruit is more or less spiny, with many small seeds[

1915

Title: Ethnobotany of the Andes
Publication
Author: Bussmann R.W. & Paniagua-Zambrana N.Y. (Editors)
Website: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28933-1
Publisher: Springer Nature; Switzerland
Year: 2020
ISBN: 978-3-030-28932-4
Description

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -

Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-11-22. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Cumulopuntia+sphaerica>

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