Pereskia grandifolia Haw. Common name - rose cactus. Family - Cactaceae. Synonyms: Rhodocactus grandifolius, Cactus grandifolius, Pereskia grandiflora, Pereskia tampicana, Rhodocactus tampicanus.

Answer

Score

1.01

Is the species highly domesticated? (If answer is 'no' then go to question 2.01)

n

0

1.02

Has the species become naturalized where grown?

1.03

Does the species have weedy races?

2.01

Species suited to tropical or subtropical climate(s) (0-low; 1-intermediate; 2-high) – If island is primarily wet habitat, then substitute “wet tropical” for “tropical or subtropical”

2

2.02

Quality of climate match data (0-low; 1-intermediate; 2-high) see appendix 2

2

2.03

Broad climate suitability (environmental versatility)

2.04

Native or naturalized in regions with tropical or subtropical climates

y

1

2.05

Does the species have a history of repeated introductions outside its natural range? y=-2

y

3.01

Naturalized beyond native range y = 1*multiplier (see Append 2), n= question 2.05

3.02

Garden/amenity/disturbance weed y = 1*multiplier (see Append 2)

n

0

3.03

Agricultural/forestry/horticultural weed y = 2*multiplier (see Append 2)

n

0

3.04

Environmental weed y = 2*multiplier (see Append 2)

n

0

3.05

Congeneric weed y = 1*multiplier (see Append 2)

y

2

4.01

Produces spines, thorns or burrs

y

1

4.02

Allelopathic

n

0

4.03

Parasitic

n

0

4.04

Unpalatable to grazing animals

y

1

4.05

Toxic to animals

n

0

4.06

Host for recognized pests and pathogens

n

0

4.07

Causes allergies or is otherwise toxic to humans

n

0

4.08

Creates a fire hazard in natural ecosystems

n

0

4.09

Is a shade tolerant plant at some stage of its life cycle

n

0

4.1

Tolerates a wide range of soil conditions (or limestone conditions if not a volcanic island)

n

0

4.11

Climbing or smothering growth habit

n

0

4.12

Forms dense thickets

y

1

5.01

Aquatic

n

0

5.02

Grass

n

0

5.03

Nitrogen fixing woody plant

n

0

5.04

Geophyte (herbaceous with underground storage organs -- bulbs, corms, or tubers)

n

0

6.01

Evidence of substantial reproductive failure in native habitat

n

0

6.02

Produces viable seed.

y

1

6.03

Hybridizes naturally

n

-1

6.04

Self-compatible or apomictic

n

-1

6.05

Requires specialist pollinators

n

0

6.06

Reproduction by vegetative fragmentation

6.07

Minimum generative time (years) 1 year = 1, 2 or 3 years = 0, 4+ years = -1

7.01

Propagules likely to be dispersed unintentionally (plants growing in heavily trafficked areas)

n

-1

7.02

Propagules dispersed intentionally by people

y

1

7.03

Propagules likely to disperse as a produce contaminant

n

-1

7.04

Propagules adapted to wind dispersal

n

-1

7.05

Propagules water dispersed

n

-1

7.06

Propagules bird dispersed

7.07

Propagules dispersed by other animals (externally)

n

-1

7.08

Propagules survive passage through the gut

8.01

Prolific seed production (>1000/m2)

n

-1

8.02

Evidence that a persistent propagule bank is formed (>1 yr)

8.03

Well controlled by herbicides

8.04

Tolerates, or benefits from, mutilation, cultivation, or fire

8.05

Effective natural enemies present locally (e.g. introduced biocontrol agents)

Total score:

0

Second Screening

low risk

Notes

Reference

1.01

No evidence

1.02

1.03

2.01

(1)"Native: SOUTHERN AMERICA  Brazil: Brazil [e.]"

http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?27358

2.02

cultivated & naturalized throughout neotropics

http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?27358

2.03

(1)"Zones 9 and higher." (2)"Hardiness:
USDA Zone 9b: to -3.8° C (25° F)
USDA Zone 10a: to -1.1° C (30° F)
USDA Zone 10b: to 1.7° C (35° F)
USDA Zone 11: above 4.5° C (40° F)" (3)Spoecimens collected from about 40-50 m to 1300 m in Nicaragua (elevations range > 1000 m but most specimens were cultivated material).

(1)http://www.stokestropicals.com/detail.aspx?ID=2121 (2)http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/57249/index.html (3)http://mobot.mobot.org/cgi-bin/search_vast

2.04

(1)"Native: SOUTHERN AMERICA  Brazil: Brazil [e.]" (2)cultivated & naturalized throughout neotropics

http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?27358

2.05

cultivated & naturalized throughout neotropics

http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?27358

3.01

(1)cultivated & naturalized throughout neotropics (2)The natural range of this taxon remains poorly known, probably through early destruction of its habitat and for the uncertainty as to its native status caused by its widespread introduction as a cultivated ornamental. [has not been documented as truely naturalized beyond the neotropics, its native range]

(1)http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?27358 (2)http://zipcodezoo.com/Plants/P/Pereskia_grandifolia.asp

3.02

No evidence

3.03

No evidence

3.04

No evidence

3.05

Pereskia aculeata - (1)"Gardeners had to give up the plant in South Africa in 1979 when it was banned as an illegal weed because it had been invading and overwhelming natural vegetation." (2)"Leaf cactus is on the 'Alert List for Environmental Weeds', a list of 28 non-native plants that threaten biodiversity and cause environmental damage. ... It is listed as a noxious weed in South Africa with forestry and conservation areas, due to its formation of dense infestations. In Australia the weed has been reported growing amongst riparian vegetation along the banks of rivers in Queensland and New South Wales. The plant has a tendency to form large impenetrable clumps, and its extreme thorniness makes control of large infestations difficult." (3)Listed under 'Declared Weeds and Invaders: Category 1 plants' of South Africa. (4)" Completely destroys patches of forest by growing up into the canopy and smothering the trees." (5)"P.aculeata has become a problem in forestry and conservation areas in South Africa (Natal, Kwazulu and the eastern Cape). It was declared noxious in South Africa in 1979 (Campbell 1988) and was the subject of biological control research (Moran and Zimmermann 1991)."

(2)http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/barbados_gooseberry.html#Description (3)http://www.plantzafrica.com/miscell/aliens2.htm (4)http://www.geocities.com/wessaaliens/species/pereskia.htm (5)http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/invasive/publications/weeds-potential/results-pereskia.html

4.01

(1)" 'Rose Cactus' has a long, thorny stem with large, pale-green leaves." (2)"Plant has spines or sharp edges; use extreme caution when handling." (3)Photo

(1)http://www.stokestropicals.com/detail.aspx?ID=2121 (2)http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/57249/index.html (3)http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/FACULTY/CARR/images/per_gra_2659.jpg

4.02

No evidence

4.03

No evidence

4.04

used as livestock fence (probaby due to its thorns). Also recognized as one of the species that is likely to become a threat to grazing industry in Australia.

(1)http://www.cites.org/common/cop/14/raw_props/E-AR01-Pereskia%20&%20Quiabentia%20E14-PXX.pdf and (2)http://www.weeds.crc.org.au/documents/mla%20
report_barker%20grice%20randall%202006.pdf

4.05

No evidence

4.06

Probably not - no evidence of associated pathogens.

4.07

No evidence

4.08

Probably not - plant with waxy and fleshy leaves.

http://www.glasshouseworks.com/succ-pr.html AND http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/57249/index.html

4.09

(1)"It tolerates sun and (semi) shade. Only the very hot noonday sun should be avoided." (2)"Sun Exposure: Full sun to light shade." (3)"Sun Exposure: Full Sun, Sun to Partial Shade, Light Shade."

(1)http://www.flowercouncil.org/uk/news/fpnews/
Productnieuws_2001/Aprl2001_Pereskia.asp (2)http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Cactaceae/Pereskia_grandifolia.html (3)http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/57249/index.html

4.1

Plant in rich, very well-drained soil

http://www.sunnygardens.com/garden_plants/pereskia/pereskia_2201.php

4.11

No evidence

4.12

quickly grow into an impenetrable thicket [genus]

http://wapedia.mobi/en/Pereskioideae

5.01

(1)" Deciduous shrub, slowly up to 18 feet tall (5 m), trunks up to 8 inches in diameter (20 cm)" (2)Photo of shrub

(1)http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Cactaceae/Pereskia_grandifolia.html (2)http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Cactaceae/Pereskia_grandifolia.html

5.02

5.03

5.04

6.01

Reproductive specimens collected from native range do not suggest so.

http://mobot.mobot.org/cgi-bin/search_vast

6.02

"Propagation: By seed, or by stem cuttings. "

http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/rose_cactus.htm

6.03

"No natural hybrids of Perekia have been reported. .Under experimental conditions, however, hybridization is possible between some closely related taxa. Others seem to be incompatible in so far as evidence from the few cross-pollination experiments between flowering specimens available at the Berlin-Dahlem Botanical Garden."

Leuenberger, B E. 1986. Pereskia (Cactaceae). Memoirs of the New York Botanical Garden. 41: 1-141.

6.04

"All Pereskia species are basically self-sterile although Ross (1981) reported that self pollination produces seed in P. diaz-romeroana, a species observed by the author to occassionally set fruit without cross pollination. In other species self pollination rarely yields fruit. However, in these cases the fruits are then often underdeveloped, seedless or few-seeded."

Leuenberger, B E. 1986. Pereskia (Cactaceae). Memoirs of the New York Botanical Garden. 41: 1-141.

6.05

"Rowley (1980) summarized the pollination syndromes in cactus flowers with reference to both earlier (Porsch, 1938- 1939) and recent (Grant & grant, 1979) works. Floral syndromes in Pereskia, with two exceptions, include diurnal opening time, various colors, scent faint or none, pollen abundant and freely exposed, nectar freely exposed or absent, sze various, profile flat. These characters suggest unselective pollination, but unfortunately direct observations are scarce. Porsch (1938, pp36, 42) mentioned P. aculeata and p. grandiflora as unselective and P. lychnidiflora (as P. nicoyana) as having bee flowers. The latter observation is confirmed by the author, based on sightings in the field in Guatemala in 1978, and also documented by a photograph."

Leuenberger, B E. 1986. Pereskia (Cactaceae). Memoirs of the New York Botanical Garden. 41: 1-141.

6.06

"Adult detached leaves of P. grandifolia root easily without need for special treatments. …" [Although the species can be propagated vegetatively, no evidence of natural spread by vegetative means].

ZAIDEN L B P; VALIO I F M, ROOTING OF DETACHED LEAVES OF PERESKIA-GRANDIFOLIA CACTACEAE Zeitschrift fuer Pflanzenphysiologie 83 (1) : 25-34 1977

6.07

"'Rose Cactus' grows slowly and can reach 18' in height with a trunk diameter of up to 8" over time."

http://www.stokestropicals.com/detail.aspx?ID=2121

7.01

No evidence that the species grows in heavily trafficked areas.

7.02

"Usually grown as an ornamental for its pink flowers which are produced en masse during warm months."

http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/rose_cactus.htm

7.03

Probably not - no evidence that the species grows around seed crops.

7.04

No evidence that the seeds have adaptation for dispersal by wind.

7.05

Probably not - no evidence that the species grows near waterways.

7.06

(1) Photo of fruits (2)"Little is known about the dispersal agents of Pereskia, but, from the fruit type, endozoochory or synzoochory by generalist frugivores (Roosmalen, 1985) seem most probable. The only species listed by the author, P. aculeata, is described as endozoochorous (bats and monkeys), but the indication of the seed dispersal strategy did not necessarily mean that it has been directly observed (Roosmalen, 1985). Other species with berry-like fruits, juicy fruit wall (P. weberiana), or sticky pulp (P. portulacifolia) seem likely to be dispersed by birds. Only speculation is possible for species with greenish-yellow fruits, tough fleshy fruits walls, and indetectable odors, as in P. grandifolia and others. Birds, bats, monkeys, or even reptiles should be considered as potential dispersal agents." "Fruits 1-12(-30), pyriform ro turbinate ... very variable in size, 5-10 cm long and 3-7 cm in diameter..." [Probably not dispersed by birds - fruits seem too large to be swallowed by birds].

(1)http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/57249/index.html (2)Leuenberger, B E. 1986. Pereskia (Cactaceae). Memoirs of the New York Botanical Garden. 41: 1-141.

7.07

No evidence that the propagules have any means of attachment.

7.08

(1) Photo of fruits (2)"Little is known about the dispersal agents of Pereskia, but, from the fruit type, endozoochory or synzoochory by generalist frugivores (Roosmalen, 1985) seem most probable. The only species listed by the author, P. aculeata, is described as endozoochorous (bats and monkeys), but the indication of the seed dispersal strategy did not necessarily mean that it has been directly observed (Roosmalen, 1985). Other species with berry-like fruits, juicy fruit wall (P. weberiana), or sticky pulp (P. portulacifolia) seem likely to be dispersed by birds. Only speculation is possible for species with greenish-yellow fruits, tough fleshy fruits walls, and indetectable odors, as in P. grandifolia and others. Birds, bats, monkeys, or even reptiles should be considered as potential dispersal agents." "Fruits 1-12(-30), pyriform ro turbinate ... very variable in size, 5-10 cm long and 3-7 cm in diameter..." [Probably not dispersed by birds - fruits seem too large to be swallowed by birds but could be bats and monkeys are likely dispersal vectors].

(1)http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/57249/index.html (2)Leuenberger, B E. 1986. Pereskia (Cactaceae). Memoirs of the New York Botanical Garden. 41: 1-141.

8.01

Probably not - relatively large seeds. (1)"The seeds of Pereskia are medium-sized to fairly large compared to those of other genera of Cactaceae. Seed size is not related to fruit size and varies between a minimum length of 1.8 mm in P. weberiana and a maximum of 7.5 mm in P. bleo." [Probably not - seeds > 1.8 mm] (2)"Fruits 1- 12(-30) ... very variable in shape and size, 5-10 cm

8.02

Pereskia grandifolia seeds will usually germinate in 5-180 days, even under good conditions germination may be erratic. Normally will only germinate with light, GA-3 may promote germination - even in the dark.

http://www.b-and-t-world-seeds.com/carth.asp?
species=Pereskia%20grandifolia&sref=69203

8.03

No evidence regarding control.

8.04

Zeitschrift fuer Pflanzenphysiologie 83 (1) : 25-34 1977

8.05

Don’t know.