Hylocereus costaricensis (F. A. C. Weber) Britton & Rose, Cactaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

English: Costa Rica nightblooming cactus

Habit:  cactus

Description:  "Vigorous vines, perhaps the stoutest of the genus, sometimes 10 cm broad, normally 3-angled, at first green or purplish, but soon becoming white and afterwards green or gray; ribs or wings comparatively thin although in age becoming more turgid; margin rather variable, either straight or somewhat undulate, obtuse, never horny; spines 2 to 4, short, rather stout, brownish, usually accompanied by two white hairs or bristles which finally drop off; young flower-buds globular, purple; flowers 3 dm long or more, strongly fragrant; outer perianth-segments narrow, more or less reddish, especially the tips; inner perianth-segments pure white; stigma-lobes rather short, yellowish, entire; ovary covered with closely set scales, these having deep purple margins; fruit scarlet, oblong, 10 cm long" (Britton & Rose, 1920; p. 186).

"Hylocereus costaricensis differs from H. undatus by its bluish or grayish green colored stems (versus bright green), the stem margins straight or somewhat undulate and never horny (versus crenulate and horny), purple-tinged flower buds (versus green), and outer perianth segments reddish, especially near the tips (versus yellowish green)" (Lorence et al., 1995; p. 28).

Habitat/ecology:  In Nicaragua, "common in dry forests, 0-1400 m" (Stevens et al., 2001; p. 512). In Hawai‘i, "naturalized in dry Leucaena secondary thickets...and on the slopes of the lower Lawai Valley" on Kaua‘i. (Lorence et al, 1995; p. 28).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Costa Rica (Britton & Rose, 1920; p. 186). Costa Rica and Nicaragua (Stevens et al., 2001; p. 512).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	introduced invasive	Lorence, David H./Flynn, Timothy W./Wagner, Warren L. (1995) (p. 28) Voucher cited: T. Flynn & L. Hume 3571 (BISH, PTBG) Naturalized

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Costa Rica Costa Rica	Costa Rica (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Nicaragua Nicaragua	Nicaragua (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Panama Panama	Panama (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)

Additional information:
Additional online information about Hylocereus costaricensis is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Hylocereus costaricensis as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Hylocereus costaricensis may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Britton, N. L. and J. N. Rose. 1920. The Cactaceae: descriptions and illustrations of plants of the cactus family. Vol. II. Carnegie Institution.

Lorence, David H./Flynn, Timothy W./Wagner, Warren L. 1995. Contributions to the flora of Hawai‘i. III. New additions, range extensions, and rediscoveries of flowering plants. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Miller, Scott, E., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 1994. Part 1: Articles. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 41:19-58.

Stevens, W. D./ Ulloa Ulloa, Carmen/Pool, Amy/Montiel, Olga Martha, eds. 2001. Flore de Nicaragua, vol. 1. Missouri Bot. Gard. Monographs in Syst. Bot. 85(1).

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. 2011. The PLANTS Database. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.