1. Pereskia Miller, Gard. Dict. Abr., ed. 4. vol. 3. 1754.
[For Nicolas Claude Fabri de Peiresc, 1580-1637, French scholar]
Michael W. Hawkes
Stems straight or zig-zag. Spines 1-12 per areole. Flowers from areoles of new growth, fragrant or not; outer tepals often greenish, colored near margins; inner tepals white, yellow, orange-red, red, pink to purplish; stamens 50-100 in small-flowered species, to 300 in large-flowered species; filaments colorless near base, in some species pigmented distally, color either matching inner tepals or contrasting with them; styles shorter to longer than stamens; stigma lobes 3-20. x = 11.
Species 17 (2 in the flora): introduced; tropical and subtropical regions in the New World, primarily South America.
Whether the populations of Pereskia in the flora area are reproducing sexually or maintaining themselves solely by vegetative means remains unclear. The population biology of both species and their long-term persistence in the flora need to be monitored.
SELECTED REFERENCES
Leuenberger, B. E. 1986. Pereskia (Cactaceae). Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 41: 1-141. Leuenberger, B. E. 1992. Leaf-bearing cacti (genus Pereskia) in cultivation. Cact. Succ. J. (Los Angeles) 64: 247-263.
