Harrisia (plant)

Harrisia (applecactus[2] and moonlight cactus[3][4]) is a genus of night blooming cacti.

For the fly genus, see Harrisia (fly).

Harrisia
Harrisia gracilis and Harrisia martinii
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Cactaceae
Subfamily: Cactoideae
Tribe: Cereeae
Subtribe: Trichocereinae
Genus: Harrisia
Britton[1]
Species

See text.

Synonyms[1]
  • Eriocereus Riccob.
  • Erythrocereus Houghton
  • Roseocereus (Backeb.) Backeb.

Description

They are tree-shaped, sometimes climbing or shrub-like cacti with cylindrical shoots. They reach heights of up to 7 m. The shoots are ribbed (four to twelve ribs) and do not form aerial roots. The flowers open at night, are white and up to 12 cm in diameter. After successful pollination, rounded fruits are formed, which are red to orange in color. The fruits have scales with areoles in the axils. The black seeds are 2 to 3 × 1.5 mm in size.

Distribution

Plants are native to Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil, Bolivia, Uruguay, the Greater Antilles, the Bahamas, and the U.S. state of Florida. The genus is named after William Harris, an important botanist of Jamaica. There are about 20 species.[5]

Harrisia cactus is an exotic invasive in Queensland,[3][6] Africa, and the U.S. state of Hawaii.

Taxonomy

The genus was established by Nathaniel Lord Britton in 1909.[1]

Species

As of September 2023, Plants of the World Online accepted the following species:[1]

ImageScientific nameDistribution
Harrisia aboriginum Small ex Britton & RoseFlorida, on the Gulf Coast of the counties of Lee, Sarasota County, and Charlotte
Harrisia adscendens (Gürke) Britton & RoseBrazil
Harrisia bonplandii (J.Parm. ex Pfeiff.) Britton & RoseParaguay, Argentina, Bolivia
Harrisia brookii BrittonBahamas.
Harrisia caymanensis A.R.FranckCayman Islands, Swan Islands.
Harrisia divaricata (Lam.) Backeb.Hispaniola.
Harrisia earlei Britton & RoseCuba
Harrisia eriophora (Pfeiff.) BrittonCuba.
Harrisia fernowii BrittonCuba.
Harrisia fragrans Small ex Britton & RoseSt. Lucie County, Florida
Harrisia gracilis (Mill.) BrittonJamaica
Harrisia martinii (Labour.) BrittonE. Paraguay to NE. Argentina.
Harrisia pomanensis (F.A.C.Weber ex K.Schum.) Britton & RoseArgentina, Bolivia, Paraguay
Harrisia portoricensis BrittonPuerto Rico
Harrisia regelii (Weing.) BorgArgentina (Santa Fé, Entre Ríos) to Uruguay.
Harrisia taetra ArecesCuba.
Harrisia tetracantha (Labour.) D.R.HuntBolivia.
Harrisia tortuosa (J.Forbes) Britton & RoseBolivia to Uruguay.

References
  1. "Harrisia Britton". Plants of the World Online. 2020-11-18. Retrieved 2023-09-29.
  2. USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Harrisia". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
  3. "Harrisia cactus" (PDF). Biosecurity Queensland. The State of Queensland, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. 2013. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
  4. "Harrisia Cactus". HerbiGuide. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
  5. Flora of North America
  6. Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry: Biosecurity Queensland (1 January 2016). "Prohibited invasive plants: Harrisia cactus". Business Queensland. Queensland Government. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  • Media related to Harrisia at Wikimedia Commons
  • Data related to Harrisia at Wikispecies
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