Common Name:

General Information

Melocactus glaucescens is a spiny, evergreen, depressed globose to pyramidal cactus, producing a single stem that can be 13 - 18cm tall and 14 - 24cm in diameter. Flowers are produced in a cephalium, a perennial structure up to 10cm high and 6 - 7cm in diameter that develops atop the adult cactus[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and a medicine. It is grown as an ornamental, and has sometimes been illegally collected from the wild for this purpose.
Melocactus glaucescens has a restricted range, the subpopulations are severely fragmented and declining due to several threats. There are potentially more subpopulations but further exploring is needed. The plant is classified as 'Endangered' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

S. America - eastern Brazil (Bahia)

Habitat

Dry forest and montane savannah, growing in the open and between low shrubs on flat or sloping, more or less exposed, crystalline rock outcrops with accumulation of gravel.; at elevations from 400 - 850 metres[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Endangered
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Evergreen Perennial
Height	0.15 m
Pollinators	Hummingbirds, Insects
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

The stem is used to make candy[]. We have no more information for this species, but in a similar species in Mexico, cubes of the plant's flesh are cooked in a concentrated sugary solution and turned into sweets - the cactus merely acts as a vehicle for the sugary flavour[]

Medicinal

The species is use locally as a medicine[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -

Add a Comment:

If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.

Name:

Email(Private):

Message:

Captcha: How many suns are in our solar system