Pereskia weberiana

Origin and identity

POWO gives Bolivia as the natural range and the seasonally dry tropical biome as the main environment type. Rhodocactus antonianus is included among synonyms. Leuenberger linked this former name to a collection plant of uncertain origin later identified as Pereskia weberiana. [2-WWW] [Leuenberger 2008]

Habit and distinction from Pereskia diaz-romeroana

The shrub usually reaches 1–3 m tall and also branches from the base. Elongated shoots may arch over. Leaves are most often 2.5–6 cm long and 1–3 cm wide, but may be larger on vigorous cultivated growth. Substantial storage thickenings form in the roots, described in collection specimens. [Leuenberger 1986, Pereskia weberiana description]

Pink or whitish flowers are about 17–25 mm in diameter, exceptionally more, and last one or two days. The receptacle is not enveloped in such dense long hairs as in Pereskia diaz-romeroana. Staminal filaments are whitish or pale pink. In the similar species, their colour is usually much more intense. This combination of traits is more useful than pink tepal colour alone. [Leuenberger 1986, Pereskia weberiana description]

Ripe fruits are dark to black and contain small seeds about 1.8–2.1 mm long. Monograph sites come from dry, open forests of Bolivia's Beni basin, at about 1100–1900 m. Flowering was recorded from July to October, and fruits ripened a few weeks later. [Leuenberger 1986, Pereskia weberiana description]

Historia etykiety kolekcjonerskiej

Early information on the origin of the specimen described as Rhodocactus antonianus changed in successive publications. Leuenberger also noted the absence of a preserved type when this name was introduced. The history illustrates the difference between a plant existing in cultivation, information on its label and a formally documented name. [Leuenberger 2008]

A living root and shoot regeneration

When discussing storage roots, Leuenberger cited detached thickenings of Pereskia weberiana that retained living tissues but did not regenerate shoots. He described a similar situation in Leuenbergeria zinniiflora. Reserves of substances and water in a root are insufficient to regard it as effective material for propagating a whole plant. [Leuenberger 2008]