Pereskia aculeata Mill., Cactaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  High risk, score: 13 (Go to the risk assessment)

Common name(s): [more details]

English: Barbados gooseberry, leafy cactus, lemon vine, pereskia creeper, primitive cactus, Spanish gooseberry

French: groseillier des Barbades

Spanish: bugambilia blanca, camilia blanca, grosellero, jasmín de uvas, ramo de novio

Habit:  shrub

Description:  "Shrub with long branches clambering or high-climbing; spines on young stems solitary or 2 or 3, slender and straight, on older stems recurved, paired. Leaves with petioles 3-7 mm long; blades lanceolate to oblong or ovate, 5-7 x 2-4 cm, base cuneate to rounded, apex short-acuminate, fleshy, smooth. Inflorescences panicles. Flowers with perianth white, pale yellow, or aging to pink. Fruits globose, 2.5-4.5 cm in diameter, smooth or with green leafy protuberances, light yellow to orange" (Howard, 1989; p. 416).

"Arbuste grimpant ou liane à feuilles très faiblement succulentes, possédant deux aiguillons en crochet, caractéristiques de l'espèce, de part et d'autre de l'axile des feuilles, qui le fait ressembler au Bougainvillée, et donnant des fleurs le plus souvent blanchâtres, groupées et odorantes. Arbuste grimpant ou liane de 3 à 10m de haut (au tronc de 2-3cm de diamètre, voire très légèrement plus) dressé et s'appuyant sur la végétation alentour puis retombant, à l'écorce verte puis devenant marron, se craquelant. Feuilles de taille moyenne, très faiblement succulentes, lancéolées ou ovales, voire presque rondes (4,5-11 cm de long pour 1,5-5 cm de large). Envers des feuilles pouvant être pourpres. Pétiole court. Nervure centrale proéminente à l'envers des feuilles. Aréoles portant 1-3 aiguillons recourbés en crochet plus ou moins fins ou aplatis, le plus souvent par paire de part et d'autre de l'axile des feuilles, ce qui permet de reconnaître aisément cette espèce (4-8mm de long). Sur les aréoles plus anciennes naissent ensuite jusqu'à 25 aiguillons droits de 10-35 mm de long. Floraison diurne en automne (dans les Caraïbes, floraison en juin puis octobre-novembre et fruits matures en mars et octobre). Fleurs odorantes, blanchâtres à rose très pâle, de taille moyenne (2,5-5cm de diamètre), terminales ou latérales, groupées en inflorescences de 70 et plus. Fruits comestibles de petite taille (1,5-2,5 de diamètre), globuleux et charnus, jaunes à oranges à maturité, dont les petites épines tombent rapidement. Graines lenticulaires noires et assez grandes (environ 5mm de diamètre)." (Au Cactus Francophone)

Habitat/ecology:  In Australia, "naturalised at several locations in Queensland and is also known to occur in gardens. The plant has been recorded growing amongst riparian vegetation along the banks of the Brisbane River at Sherwood (Brisbane). P. aculeata may become an invasive weed in coastal, sub-tropical areas of southern Queensland and north-eastern New South Wales. The plant has a tendency to form large, impenetrable clumps. Its extreme thorniness could make control of large infestations difficult" (Csurhes & Edwards, 1998; p. 52).

Propagation:  Seed via bird-dispersed fruit (possibly also distributed by other animals), broken stem fragments (Csurhes & Edwards, 1998; p. 52).

Native range:  "West Indies, Venezuela, Guyana, Brazil, and Argentina; elsewhere in the tropics cultivated or escaped" (Howard, 1989; p. 416).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santa Cruz Group	Santa Cruz Island	introduced cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced cultivated	Florence, J. (2004) (p. 95)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Ngercheu Island	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Lorence, David H./LaRosa, Anne Marie (2009) (pp. 8, 16) Carp Resort

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	introduced invasive cultivated	Csurhes, S./Edwards, R. (1998) (pp. 52-53)
Colombia Colombia	Colombia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
Panama Panama	Panama (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
South Africa South Africa	South Africa (Republic of)	introduced	Henderson, Lesley (1995)

Comments:  A declared noxious weed in South Africa (Henderson, 1995). "P. aculeata has become a problem in forestry and conservation areas in South Africa (Natal, Kwazulu and the eastern Cape)" (Csurhes & Edwards, 1998; p. 52).

Additional information:
Information from the Purdue University NewCROP web site.
Information from the Purdue University NewCROP web site.
Weed Management Guide from the CRC for Australian Weed Management (PDF format).

Additional online information about Pereskia aculeata is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

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

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

References:

Charles Darwin Foundation. 2008. Database inventory of introduced plant species in the rural and urban zones of Galapagos. Charles Darwin Foundation, Galapagos, Ecuador.

Charles Darwin Research Station. 2005. CDRS Herbarium records.

Csurhes, S./Edwards, R. 1998. Potential environmental weeds in Australia: Candidate species for preventative control. Canberra, Australia. Biodiversity Group, Environment Australia. 208 pp.

Florence, J. 2004. Flore de la Polynésie française, Vol. 2. Paris. IRE Editions, Publications Scientifiques, Collection Faune et Flore Tropicales 41. 503 pp.

Henderson, Lesley. 1995. Plant invaders of Southern Africa. Plant Protection Research Institute Handbook No. 5, Agriculture Research Council, ARC/LNR, Pretoria, South Africa. 177 pp.

Howard, Richard A. 1989. Flora of the Lesser Antilles: Leeward and Windward Islands. Vol. 5 Dicotyledoneae-Part 2 Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University. 604 pp.

Space, James C./Lorence, David H./LaRosa, Anne Marie. 2009. Report to the Republic of Palau: 2008 update on Invasive Plant Species. USDA Forest Service, Hilo, Hawai‘i. (In press).

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2009. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.