Common Name:

General Information

Melocactus pachyacanthus is a spiny, evergreen depressed globose to ovoid cactus, producing a single stem that can be 15 - 30cm tall and 20cm in diameter. Flowers are produced in a cephalium, a perennial structure up to 12cm high and 10cm in diameter that develops atop the adult cactus
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food.
Melocactus pachyacanthus has a very restricted and fragmented distribution, and there is continuing decline in its extent of occurrence and area of occupancy, and also a reduction in the extent and quality of its habitat which is mainly due to mining and agriculture. The plant is classified as 'Vulnerable' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2017)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

S. America - eastern Brazil (northern Bahia)

Habitat

Dry forest, growing on flat, exposed Bambuí limestone; at elevations from 520 - 750 metres[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Vulnerable
Edibility Rating
Habit	Evergreen Perennial
Height	0.25 m
Pollinators	Hummingbirds, Insects
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

The stems are 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

None known

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -

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