Pereskia aculeata Miller (1768

Hoxey, Paul & Gdaniec, Andrew, 2021, An evaluation of the Cactaceae of Barbados, Grenada, Saint Vincent, and The Grenadines, Phytotaxa 483 (1), pp. 25-74 : 68

10. Pereskia aculeata Miller (1768 : unpaged) ≡ Cactus pereskia Linnaeus (1753: 469) .

Lectotype (designated by Leuenberger 1986: 59):— Dillenius (1732: Fig. 294 on Plate 227, image of the lectotype available at: https:// bibdigital.rjb.csic.es/viewer/11970/?offset=#page=163).

Notes:— Plumier found Pereskia aculeata growing on Union island and it was reported from Bequia by Ralfe (1893). We failed to find this species anywhere, either growing wild or in cultivation. On Union island we asked local people, one of whom was familiar and very interested in the local flora, and nobody could recognise the species from photographs. Howard (1952) reports that Union island was extensively cultivated in the nineteenth century and the vegetation there today is probably all secondary growth that has developed over the last 100 years or so. If Pereskia was native to the island in the seventeenth century in a natural setting, it was probably exterminated when the land was turned over to agriculture.

Hughes (1750: 162–163) describes a species called “Gooseberry Shrub” which he found growing on the “Estate of the Honourable John Maycock, Esq; in St. Lucy’s Parish”. Pereskia aculeata has the common name “ Barbados gooseberry” and is probably the species described by Hughes. We did not see this species on Barbados but it is still in cultivation there (pers. comm. S. Carrington).

Specimens examined:— BARBADOS. Andromeda Gardens , 1 Aug 1990, Carrington 1281 (BAR) .