Barbed-wire cactus
Acanthocereus tetragonus

Family: Cactaceae

What it is like

A shrub or small tree. It grows 5 m tall. There are prickles along the stem. The leaves are twice divided and there are 8-18 pairs of pinnae. There are up to 50 pairs of pinnules on each pinnae. The flowers are yellow. They are in large clusters at the ends of branches. The pods are flattened.

There are 6 Acanthocereus species.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows in sandy soils in dense thickets. It grows up to 10 m above sea level. It needs bright light. It needs a temperature above 13°C.

Countries/locations it is found in

Antilles, Asia, Belize, Caribbean, Central America, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curacao, Dominica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Hawaii, Honduras, Indonesia, Martinique, Mexico (country/location of origin), Nicaragua, North America, Pacific, Panama, SE Asia, South America, Trinidad, USA (country/location of origin), Venezuela, West Indies

How it is used for food

The ripe fruit are eaten raw. They are sweet. The tender stems are cooked and eaten.

Edible parts

Fruit, stems

How it is grown

Plants can be grown from seeds and cuttings.

Its other names

Local names

Barbwire acanthocereus, Cruceta, Cushicuri, Jacube, Jacubo, Kaktus segitiga, Pitaya, Chaco, Nun-tsutsuy, Organo, Pitahaya, Pitahaya anaranjada, Pitahaya morada, Triangle cactus

Synonyms

Acanthocereus acutangulus (hort ex Pfeiffer) A. Berg.; Acanthocereus floridanus Small ex Br. & Rose; Acanthocereus pentagonus (L.)Br. & Rose; Acanthocereus pitajaya (DC.) Dugand ex Crozat; Acanthocereus princeps (Pfeiffer) Backenberg; Cactus pentagonus L; Cactus prismaticus Willd.; Cactus tetragonus L.; Cereus pentagonus (L.) Haw.; Cereus princeps Pfeiffer; Cereus tetragonus L.(Mill.); Cereus acutangulus hort. ex. Pfeiffer;