Pereskia

A leafy cactus with climbing, woody stems. It is the food plant ora-pro-nobis and a subject of research on pollination, fruit development and the reversible response of photosynthesis to drought.

A leafy cactus from eastern Brazil. Older areoles can produce successive leaves on short shoots, giving stems a developmental rhythm different from simply elongating new branches.

A Bolivian shrub with fleshy roots, small leaves and pink flowers enveloped in long hairs. The species is self-fertile and may produce seeds early in cultivation.

A large-leaved shrub or tree from Brazil, also known as Rhodocactus grandifolius. The literature describes leaf use and the effect of temperature on seed germination.

A Peruvian leafy cactus from the Andean group. Older material often uses the name Pereskia humboldtii, and some plants were described as Pereskia vargasii.

A semi-succulent shrub of southern South America. Its stem structure shows that traits of leafy cactus stems do not follow a simple division into two uniform types.

A South American tree-like cactus, also encountered as Rhodocactus sacharosa. Its leaves have been studied in models of inflammation and changes in brain function in rodents.

A species from Brazil's Bahia and Minas Gerais states, distinguished by a narrowly opening flower. Upright tepals give it an almost tubular shape.

A Brazilian species formerly treated as a variety or subspecies of Pereskia grandifolia. The characteristic purple colour of bracts and buds is associated with the history of its separation.

A Bolivian shrub with storage roots, small pink or whitish flowers and dark fruits. Weaker hair cover of the flower-bearing part helps distinguish it from the similar Pereskia diaz-romeroana.