Tropical Plant Database - Plant Details

Barbados Gooseberry is a climbing shrub, up to 20 feet tall (6 m), 1 to 3 with short hooked spines, sometimes longer straight spines on older stems. The leaves have short petioles, up to 4 inches long (10 cm). The shrub has strongly scented whitish flowers in clusters, to 1.6 inches in diameter (4 cm), followed by a small, light yellow, edible, spiny fruits (0.6 to 0.8 in. in diameter) with a juicy, subacid pulp. The seeds are dark brown, flattened 4 to 5 mm in diameter.
(Anderson, E.F. 2001. The Cactus Family.)

Pereskia aculeata country of origin is West Indies.
(Anderson, E.F. 2001. The Cactus Family.)

The flavor of the small fruit is pleasant and is used fresh or preserved. The leaves may be cooked as greens.
(Anderson, E.F. 2001. The Cactus Family.)

(Information for this species compiled and recorded by Camelia Cirnaru, NTBG Consultant.)

We currently have 2 herbarium specimens for Pereskia aculeata in our collection. Click on any specimen below to view the herbarium sheet data.

• 060343 - collected by David H. Lorence in 2012
• Unassigned - collected by Jackson Jablonski in 2024