Xerophyte

Habit

It is a perennial treelike stem succulent, often with many upright or slightly curved branches above, often with distinct trunks up to 10 m high (but usually less)

Description

The Peruvian apple cactus (Cereus repandusSN|6464]]) more often known under the name of Cereus peruvianus, it is a tall, spreading columnar cactus well known to cactus fanciers throughout the world. It is grown mostly as an ornamental plant, but it has some local culinary importance, and is probably the most widely cultivated Cereus.

Note

The cells of Cereus Peruvianus contain an immense quantity of crystals of oxalate of lime (a.k.a. raphides) that in some parts of the tissue may form at least an 80% of the whole mass. They appear to the naked eye like very fine glittering sand, and, under the microscope, as rectangular prisms, with tetraedral points and a square or parallelogrammic base. They may be found abundantly in most succulent Monocotyledons, but in no plants had they been seen so abundant or so large as in Cereus repandusSN|6464]].

Flowers

Nocturnal, each flower opens for just one night and then shrivels up, white with reddish tips, 12-15 cm long. It is self-incompatible and requires cross-pollination to obtain fruits.

Blooming Season

During the warm season Cereus peruvianus produces several flower flushes.

Spines

Extremely variable, often numerous, sometimes absent, grey, needle-like, the longest to 5 cm.

Ribs

9-10, fairly low, rounded, somewhat compressed and undated, to 1 cm high.

Stem

Cylindrical, somewhat slender, segmented, grey-green to blue, 10-20 cm in diameter.

Fruits

The fruits, known locally as "Pitaya", “Peruvian Apple” or “ Koubo” are globose to elongate up to 4 cm long, thornless usually red with white pulp, but skin colour vary from yellow to deep violet-red. The edible flesh is white and contains small, edible, crunchy seeds. Fruits tend to crack during ripening and flesh sweetens as the fruit opens out fully. The optimum harvest stage is when the fruits are close to or at full ripeness. Once harvested, the ripe fruits must be eaten within twenty-four hours, or they begin to ferment. Fruit take about 40-50 days to swell and ripen, so there are often flowers and fruits on the plant at the same time. A single large plant may produces hundred of fruits every year.

Areoles

Small, widely separated.