Pereskia lychnidiflora DC. Synonym: Pereskia opuntiiflora, Pereskia opuntiflora, Pereskia opuntiaeflora, Pereskiopsis opuntiaeflora, Pereskia pititache, Pereskia nicoyana, Opuntia pititache, Opuntia golziana, Pereskiopsis pititache, Rhodocactus conzattii, Pereskia conzattii, Pereskia calandriniaefolia, Rhodocactus autumnalis, Pereskiopsis autumnalis, Pereskia autumnalis, Rhodocactus lychnidiflorus, Rhodocactus nicoyanus Family - Cactaceae

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)

n

0

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

n

3.01

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

n

0

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

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)

y

1

4.11

Climbing or smothering growth habit

n

0

4.12

Forms dense thickets

n

0

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

n

-1

6.07

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

3

0

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:

-1

Notes

Reference

1.01

No evidence

1.02

1.03

2.01

"Origin: Southern Mexico to Costa Rica, up to 3300 feet elevation (1000 m)."

http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Cactaceae/Pereskia_lychnidiflora.html

2.02

2.03

(1)USDA: 9b-11" (2)Almost all specimens collected are from below 1000 m.

http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Cactaceae/Pereskia_lychnidiflora.html

2.04

"Origin: Southern Mexico to Costa Rica, up to 3300 feet elevation (1000 m)."

http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Cactaceae/Pereskia_lychnidiflora.html

2.05

Offered for sale by a rare plant nursery in Florida

http://www.gardinonursery.com/product_info.php?products_id=516

3.01

No evidence

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

"Spines often lacking on distal flowering twigs but present on lower branches, often one per areole on twigs on mature plants, or 1-3 on twigs, more numerous on juvenile plants …"

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

4.02

No evidence

4.03

No evidence

4.04

Used for construction of livestock fences or as hedges around homesteads in El Salvador and Mexico. [long thorns]

http://www.cites.org/common/cop/14/raw_props/E-AR01-Pereskia%20&%20Quiabentia%20E14-PXX.pdf

4.05

No evidence

4.06

Probably not - no evidence of associated pests.

4.07

"No part of the plant is known to be poisonous, but Standley and Wiliams (1962) consider P. lychnidiflora planted as a hedge to be dangerous to man and animal. The stinging sclerenchymatic fibers falling from the withering cortex of dead branches and trunks and blown away with the wind irritate the skin and are dangerous to the eyes. These fibers apparenlty make the wood unsuitable for fuel." [Although did not find any documented cases of harm to humans or livestock].

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

4.08

Probably not - Although a dry forest species, it grows as a solitary tree, leaves are leathery/fleshy (see photo).

http://data1.blog.de/media/960/490960_b00a2b5dce_m.jpg

4.09

"Sun Exposure: Morning sun or bright shade" [No further evidence regarding light requirement].

http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Cactaceae/Pereskia_lychnidiflora.html

4.1

"P. lychnidiflora occurs on alluvial soil of diverse origin. In cultivation, all species seem to do well in any substrate."

4.11

"Tree up to 10 m or rarely to more than 15 m tall …"

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

4.12

No evidence

5.01

"Tree up to 10 m or rarely to more than 15 m tall …"

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

5.02

5.03

5.04

6.01

Probably not - Several flowering specimens collected from native range.

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

6.02

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

No evidence of spread by vegetative means.

6.07

A tree up to 10 m - probably takes 2 to 3 years to reach flowering.

7.01

No evidence that the species grows in heavily trafficked areas.

7.02

An ornamental tree.

7.03

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

7.04

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

7.05

Probably not - no evidence that the species inhabits waterways.

7.06

Probably not - "Little is known about the dispersal agents in Pereskia, but, from the fruit type, endozoochory or synzoochory by generalist frugivores seem probable. ... The fruits of P. lychnidiflora is of particular interest because the seeds are surrounded by stinging sclereid fibers of the locule wall. Although this may not be a factor preventing dispersal of the intact fruit, the fibers ;might act as a repellant against consumption of the seeds. Nevertheless, the fruits collected by the author during a field trip to Guatemala in 1978 proved to be heavily infested with the larve of a beetle, obviously consuming the seeds." "Fruit broadly pyriform to spherical, 25-40 mm in diam. (3-5 cm when fresh) ..." [might be bird dispersed

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

7.07

"Little is known about the dispersal agents in Pereskia, but, from the fruit type, endozoochory or synzoochory by generalist frugivores seem probable. ... The fruits of P. lychnidiflora is of particular interest because the seeds are surrounded by stinging sclereid fibers of the locule wall. Although this may not be a factor preventing dispersal of the intact fruit, the fibers; might act as a repellant against consumption of the seeds. Nevertheless, the fruits collected by the author during a field trip to Guatemala in 1978 proved to be heavily infested with the larve of a beetle, obviously consuming the seeds."

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

7.08

"Little is known about the dispersal agents in Pereskia, but, from the fruit type, endozoochory or synzoochory by generalist frugivores seem probable. ... The fruits of P. lychnidiflora is of particular interest because the seeds are surrounded by stinging sclereid fibers of the locule wall. Although this may not be a factor preventing dispersal of the intact fruit, the fibers ;might act as a repellant against consumption of the seeds. Nevertheless, the fruits collected by the author during a field trip to Guatemala in 1978 proved to be heavily infested with the larve of a beetle, obviously consuming the seeds."

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

8.01

(1)"Solitary orange flowers at the end of the branches, around 2.4 inches in diameter (6 cm), followed by yellowish pear-shaped fruits, 1 to 1.6 inches in diameter (2.5 to 4 cm); black seeds 3 mm long." (2)"Seeds numerous, to 100-150, obovate, 3-3.5 mm long, 2- 2.5 mm broad and about 1.5 mm thick, smooth, black, glossy …" [Probably not - solitary flowers - solitary fruits at the end of branches - probably < 10 frutis fall per meter square].

(1)http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Cactaceae/Pereskia_lychnidiflora.html (2)Leuenberger, B E. 1986. Pereskia (Cactaceae). Memoirs of the New York Botanical Garden. 41: 1-141.

8.02

No evidence regarding seed bank.

8.03

No evidence that the species is being controlled for.

8.04

Don’t know.

8.05

Don’t know.