Harrisia (plant)
Genus of cacti
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Harrisia (applecactus[2] and moonlight cactus[3][4]) is a genus of night blooming cacti.
| Harrisia | |
|---|---|
| |
| Harrisia gracilis and Harrisia martinii | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Cactaceae |
| Subfamily: | Cactoideae |
| Tribe: | Cereeae |
| Subtribe: | Trichocereinae |
| Genus: | Harrisia Britton[1] |
| Type species | |
| Harrisia gracilis | |
| Species | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Description
They are tree-shaped, sometimes climbing or shrub-like cacti with cylindrical shoots. They reach heights of up to 7 m. The shoots are ribbed (four to twelve ribs) and do not form aerial roots. The flowers open at night, are white and up to 12 cm in diameter. After successful pollination, rounded fruits are formed, which are red to orange in color. The fruits have scales with areoles in the axils. The black seeds are 2 to 3 × 1.5 mm in size.[5]
Distribution
Plants are native to Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil, Bolivia, Uruguay, the Greater Antilles, the Bahamas, and the U.S. state of Florida. The genus is named after William Harris, an important botanist of Jamaica. There are about 20 species.[6]
Harrisia is an exotic invasive in Australia in Queensland[3][7] and New South Wales,[8] in Africa, and in the U.S. state of Hawaii.
Taxonomy
The genus was established by Nathaniel Lord Britton in 1909.[1]
Species
As of September 2026[update], Plants of the World Online accepted the following species separated into two subgenera:[9][1]
| Subgenus | Image | Scientific name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eriocereus (A. Berger) A.R. Franck |  | Harrisia bonplandii (J.Parm. ex Pfeiff.) Britton & Rose | Paraguay, Argentina, Bolivia |
 | Harrisia martinii (Labour.) Britton | E. Paraguay to NE. Argentina. | |
 | Harrisia pomanensis (F.A.C.Weber ex K.Schum.) Britton & Rose | Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay | |
 |
Harrisia regelii (Weing.) Borg | Argentina (Santa Fé, Entre Ríos) to Uruguay. | |
 |
Harrisia tetracantha (Labour.) D.R.Hunt | Bolivia. | |
 | Harrisia tortuosa (J.Forbes) Britton & Rose | Bolivia to Uruguay. | |
| Harrisia | _10.jpg) | Harrisia aboriginum Small ex Britton & Rose | Florida, on the Gulf Coast of Lee, Sarasota, and Charlotte Counties. |
| Harrisia adscendens (Gürke) Britton & Rose | Brazil | ||
 | Harrisia brookii Britton | Bahamas. | |
| Harrisia caymanensis A.R.Franck | Cayman Islands, Swan Islands. | ||
 | Harrisia divaricata (Lam.) Backeb. | Hispaniola. | |
 | Harrisia earlei Britton & Rose | Cuba | |
| Harrisia eriophora (Pfeiff.) Britton | Cuba. | ||
| Harrisia fernowii Britton | Cuba. | ||
 | Harrisia fragrans Small ex Britton & Rose | St. Lucie County, Florida | |
 | Harrisia gracilis (Mill.) Britton | Jamaica | |
.jpg) | Harrisia portoricensis Britton | Puerto Rico | |
 | Harrisia taetra Areces | Cuba. | |
