Characteristics
A cactus. It is a clambering shrub. It loses some of its leaves. It is thorny. It grows 3-6 m high. The stems are dark green when young. There are spines in clusters of 6. The leaves are oblong. They are rubbery and 8-18 cm long. The tips are tapered. The edges are wavy. The leaf stalks are 5 cm long. The flowers are pink or orange. They occur singly and are 8 cm across. The fruit are top shaped. The ripen yellow.
| Life form |
perennial
|
| Growth form |
shrub
|
| Growth support |
free-standing
|
| Foliage retention |
deciduous
|
| Sexuality |
hermaphrodite
|
| Pollination |
-
|
| Spread |
-
|
| Mature width (meter) |
-
|
| Mature height (meter) |
4.0 - 6.0
|
| Root system |
-
|
| Rooting depth (meter) |
-
|
| Root diameter (meter) |
-
|
| Flower color |
-
|
| Blooming months |
-
|
| Fruit color |
-
|
| Fruiting months |
-
|
| Nitrogen fixer |
-
|
| Photosynthetic pathway |
-
|
Environment
A tropical plant. It suits places with seasonally moist and dry climates. It needs sandy, well-drained soil. It can tolerate some salt. In Panama and Colombia it grows along streams up to 500 m altitude. It grows in plant hardiness zones 10-12.
| Light |
-
|
| Soil humidity |
-
|
| Soil texture |
-
|
| Soil acidity |
-
|
| Soil nutriment |
-
|
| Hardiness (USDA) |
|
Usage
The leaves are eaten as a salad.
Cultivation
It can be grown from cuttings. It can be used for hedges.
| Mode |
cuttings
seedlings
|
| Germination duration (days) |
-
|
| Germination temperacture (C°) |
-
|
| Germination luminosity |
-
|
| Germination treatment |
-
|
| Minimum temperature (C°) |
-
|
| Optimum temperature (C°) |
-
|
| Size |
-
|
| Vigor |
-
|
| Productivity |
-
|
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