Common Name:

General Information

Harrisia adscendens is a spiny, evergreen, much branched, shrubby cactus. The stems can be 5 - 8 metres long and 2 - 5cm in diameter, usually with distinct trunks; they are erect at first, later arching and clambering through other plants[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food.
Harrisia adscendens has a wide range and is frequently abundant, it is tolerant to disturbance and occurs within protected areas. The subpopulations in the wild might have decreased over the last years, however the species is tolerant and can establish in areas converted for cattle ranching, road sides and farm fences. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2017)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

S. America - northeast Brazil

Habitat

Found along road sides, often in farm hedges, amongst semi-open vegetation or scrambling over rocks (inselberg) in caatinga agreste, especially on soils containing clay; at elevations from 50 - 700 metres[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Habit	Evergreen Shrub
Height	6.00 m
Pollinators	Moths, Bats
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

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[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw[]. The red, globose fruits are free of spines and around 5 - 6cm in diameter[]. Harrisia fruits generally contain a sweet, edible, white pulp with hundreds to thousands of tiny seeds embedded in the pulp[]. The fruit usually tears open at the sides as it ripens to expose the inner pulp and seed[].

Medicinal

A decoction of the root is used medicinally[]. No more information

Other Uses

None known

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[].

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