Common Name: Pitayo de Aguas

General Information

Stenocereus fricii is a much-branched, spiny, succulent, evergreen tree-like cactus with a poorly defined trunk and a somewhat candelabra-like branching habit; it can grow 4 - 7 meters tall. The stems arise from at or near the ground, they are rarely branched, around 2 - 7 metres long and 8 - 12cm in diameter[]..
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food. The fruit is of good quality and is sold in markets - wild populations are managed and the plant is also sometimes cultivated in order to obtain fruit for sale. The plant is also grown as a living fence to demarcate boundaries and exclude herbivorous animals.
Stenocereus fricii may be declining due to the overcollection of its fruits for food, but the declines are not yet occurring at a rate that would warrant listing in a threatened category. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2017)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Southern N. America - southwest Mexico (Colima, Guerrero, Jalisco, Michoacán, Sinaloa)

Habitat

Low coastal dry forests; at elevations up to 600 metres[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	5.00 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Semi-cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

The fruits are produced in the wet season[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw. Of good quality[]. The globose, red or yellow fruits are around 5cm in diameter[].

Seeds[].

Medicinal

None known

Agroforestry Uses:

The plant is grown as a living fence in order to demarcate boundaries and exclude grazing animals[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -

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Captcha: if i have 3 bananas, and i eat them all, how many bananas did i just eat?