Common Name:

General Information

Harrisia divaricata is a spiny, evergreen, shrubby or tree-like cactus with a well-developed erect trunk up to 1 metre tall and spreading branches[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials.
Harrisia divaricata

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Caribbean - Dominican Republic, Haiti

Habitat

Scrub forest and scrubland in lowland and coastal areas; at elevations up to 400 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Shrub
Height	1.00 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

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 free of spines[]

Medicinal

The juice of the stem, mixed in vinegar or castor oil, has been used topically as a depilatory agent and also to treat toothache, warts, and ringworm fungi[].

Other Uses

The wood from the stem has been used to make crates[].

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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