Pereskia grandifolia

Pereskia grandifolia Haw., Saxifrag. Enum. 2: 85 1821. (Syn: Cactus grandifolius Link [Illegitimate]; Cactus rosa Vell.; Pereskia ochnocarpa Miq.; Pereskia rosea hort. ex A. Dietr.; Pereskia tampicana F.A.C. Weber; Rhodocactus grandifolius (Haw.) F.M. Knuth; Rhodocactus tampicanus (F.A.C. Weber) Backeb.);

Pereskia grandifolia (Rose Cactus; syn. Cactus grandifolius Link, Rhodocactus grandifolius (Haw.) F.M.Knuth, Cactus rosa Vell.) is a tree native to the Northeastern Brazil restingas.

This plant is often used as a medicinal plant and an ornamental plant. In addition, it has edible leaves.

Although it is a cactus by classification, it takes the form of a shrub or small tree, 2-5 meters high, with a grayish-brown trunk up to 20 cm in diameter. The areolees are rounded cushion-shaped grayish or brownish tomentum; on the twigs they are 3-7 mm diameter and up to 12 mm on the main trunk. The spines range from black to brown, the number at each areole gradually increasing with age; new twigs can have spineless areoles, while the trunk areoles may have up to 90 spines, each 2-6.5 cm long. The leaves vary in size from 9-23 cm long, entire, with shapes ranging from elliptic to ovate and obovate-lanceolate.

The dense inflorescence develops at the ends of stems, usually with 10-15 flowers, but sometimes with 30 or more. The flowers are showy and rose-like, 3-5 cm in diameter. (Ref. Wikipedia – 1.4.13)