Pereskia aculeata

Habit and origin

Stems rest on surrounding vegetation, and hooked spines help hold them on supports. Well-developed leaves perform the main photosynthetic function. According to POWO, the natural range extends from Panama through part of tropical South America. The plant has also been introduced into many distant areas, including southern Africa and Australia. [Teixeira et al. 2023] [2-WWW]

Spine and leaf variation

Woody stems can form a climber 3–10 m long. Younger sections bear characteristic hooked spines that allow attachment to neighbouring branches. Older areoles may produce clusters of longer straight spines. Their appearance on the trunk and a young twig therefore differs functionally and does not indicate two species. [Leuenberger 1986, Pereskia aculeata description]

Leaf blades are most often elliptical, usually about 4.5–7 cm long, sometimes up to 11 cm, and 1.5–5 cm wide. Leaf fleshiness is much lower than in the massive stems of typical desert cacti. The branched, climbing habit allows recognition even without flowers, especially by considering spine type and how stems are supported together. [Leuenberger 1986, Pereskia aculeata description]

Flowers and pollination

In a study from southern Brazil, flowers were visited by various insect groups, including native hymenopterans, beetles and flies. They offered pollen and nectar. Experiments with manual pollen application showed self-fertility, the possibility of fertilisation with the plant's own pollen. [Becker et al. 2023]

Self-fertility did not mean spontaneous fruit set. Flowers isolated in bags without manual pollination did not fruit. Under the conditions studied, an agent was therefore needed to transfer pollen to the stigma. For greenhouse observations, this distinction matters more than simply describing the species as self-fertile. [Becker et al. 2023]

Z czego powstaje owoc

The fleshy part of the fruit forms with contributions from the hypanthium, the enlarged part surrounding the floral organs, and the pericarp developing from the ovary wall. Seeds are immersed in a gelatinous mass. Developmental analysis indicated that this mass is associated with transformation of pericarp tissues and the column within the fruit. [Rosa and Souza 2003]

The mature seed contains a curved embryo with two cotyledons and an elongated axis comprising the hypocotyl and root primordium. There is also perisperm, storage tissue derived from the ovule nucellus, and endosperm remnants. This distinction shows that tissues nourishing the embryo may have different origins. [Rosa and Souza 2003]

Germination in the experiment

Souza and colleagues studied seeds obtained from fruits of two mother plants near Porto Alegre. They compared constant temperatures of 24, 27, 30, 33 and 36°C. Seeds lay on moist filter paper, with eight hours of light and sixteen hours of darkness, in four replicates per treatment. Observation lasted 21 days, and germination was defined as the appearance of a root at least 2 mm long. [Souza et al. 2016, p. 7–8]

In the results table, mean germination was 99% at 30°C and 92% at 33°C. In the comparison test, both results belonged to groups sharing a letter, so the percentage difference was not statistically decisive. The 30°C treatment was also distinguished by germination being concentrated in time. The results describe a specific seed batch rather than guarantee success in every sowing. [Souza et al. 2016, table 2, p. 8]

Photosynthesis and recovery after water shortage

In the 2024 experiment, water deficit restricted daytime CO₂ uptake and stomatal conductance. A nocturnal increase in acidity indicated activation of CAM transformations. Nocturnal CO₂ exchange remained very small, however. The authors associated this pattern with CAM-cycling, in which the plant reuses some CO₂ released by its own respiration. [de Barros et al. 2024]

A separate 2025 paper covered prolonged water deficit and subsequent rewatering. Malate and the activity of PEPc and MDH enzymes involved in carbon-compound transformations were measured. Changes in acidity and enzyme activity supported the interpretation of reversible induction of CAM traits. The antioxidant-enzyme system also changed during rewatering. [Cenciareli et al. 2025]

The studies demonstrated capacity for metabolic adjustment and recovery after stress. At the same time, water deficit restricted daytime photosynthesis and growth. In cultivation of a plant intended to produce a large leaf mass, severe drying therefore has a different effect from simply keeping it alive. This is an inference from the physiology of the plant studied, rather than a ready-made watering calendar. [de Barros et al. 2024] [Cenciareli et al. 2025]

Rooting and experimental conditions

Plants for physiological studies were obtained from stem cuttings. In Cenciareli and colleagues' paper, a mixture of washed sand and commercial substrate in equal volumes was used, and plants were kept in a warm growth chamber with controlled light. The method documents the capacity of this material for vegetative propagation. It was not compared with other mixtures, so it does not define the sole or best substrate for home conditions. [Cenciareli et al. 2025]

Santos and colleagues compared herbaceous, semi-woody and woody cuttings in full light and beneath mesh nominally blocking 50% of light. Each treatment had four replicates of five cuttings. Sections about 20 cm long were planted to one-third of their length in lateritic soil and Tropstrato®, mixed 1:1 by volume. Moisture was maintained at 70% of the substrate's water-retention capacity. Mean temperature was about 29°C. [Santos et al. 2023]

After 90 days, greater cutting woodiness and full light separately favoured survival. The authors recommended woody sections in full light, with semi-woody cuttings under shade as a second option. Some results depended on interaction between the two factors. This supports selecting a mature stem section, but success in strong light concerned continuously controlled moisture and a warm site. Cuttings were not subjected to weeks of dry storage. [Santos et al. 2023]

Leaf use

Leaves of Pereskia aculeata are used as a vegetable known in Brazil as ora-pro-nobis. Raw-material composition and preparation effects are described in Ora-pro-nobis. Leaves as a food resource. [Teixeira et al. 2023]