The name Melocactus bahiensis is commonly misapplied in Brazilian literature to the wide-ranging Melocactus zehntneri (Britton & Rose) Luetzelb.[].

Common Name:

General Information

Melocactus zehntneri is a spiny, evergreen globular cactus, producing a single stem that can be highly variable in shape, ranging from hemispherical to cylincrical; it can grow 11 - 48cm tall and 9 - 25cm in diameter. Flowers are produced in a cephalium, a perennial structure usually up to 11cm high (exceptionally to 30cm) and 6 - 10cm in diameter that develops atop the adult cactus
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine. It is sometimes grown as an ornamental.
Melocactus zehntneri has a wide range and is abundant. Even though the dry forest habitat is declining fast, the
species occurs in several other areas which are not affected and it can grow on several substrates which
are not sought after for mining. 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 (Piauí, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe, Maranhao, Tocantins and Bahia)

Habitat

Dry forest and montane savannah, in a wide varieity of soil types, including sand and rocks of various types, (limestone, gneiss/granite (inselbergs), sandstones, quartzitic and other crystalline formations); at elevations from 200 - 1,000 metres[]

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Evergreen Perennial
Height	0.40 m
Pollinators	Hummingbirds, Insects
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, 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

The plant is used medicinally[]. No more details

Agroforestry Uses:

The plant is considered to be an indicator species of dry forest, since its distribution coincides with this habitat[]..

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -

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