Pereskia
-
Authority
Acevedo-Rodríguez, Pedro & collaborators. 1996. Flora of St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 78: 1-581.
-
Family
Cactaceae
-
Scientific Name
-
Description
Genus Description - Shrubs, trees, or scandent shrubs; stem cylindrical, with axial areoles surrounded by clusters of spines; glochids wanting. Leaves persistent, alternate, somewhat succulent and petiolate. Flowers solitary or in racemes, panicles, or cymes. Receptacle with lower and upper sets of bracteoles, and areoles; perianth with sepaloid and petaloid segments; stamens numerous, usually of unequal length and shorter than the perianth; ovary superior or medial, the style stout, the stigmas numerous, fingerlike, papillose. Fruit fleshy, with persistent bracteoles and areoles; seeds few, not arillate.
Distribution and Ecology - A neotropical genus of 17 species.