Common Name:

General Information

Harrisia tortuosa is a spiny, evergreen shrubby cactus with erect stems that become arching or even prostrate with age. The plant grows around 1 metre long with stems 2 - 4cm in diameter[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food.
Harrisia tortuosa s widely distributed, is abundant throughout its range, and there are no major threats affecting it. 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 - northern Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, western Brazil

Habitat

Hilly areas among shrubs and in forests and forest clearings. It is favoured by anthropogenic activities; at elevations up to 500 metres[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility 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[].

This species has escaped from cultivation and become naturalized in Queensland, Australia[].
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 fruit usually tears open at the sides as it ripens to expose the inner pulp and seed[]. The red, globose fruit is around 3 - 4cm in diameter and has a few spines[].

The boiled or roasted roots are sometimes eaten[].

Medicinal

None known

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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