''Pereskiopsis'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

cactus A cactus (, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Gree ...

(

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Cactaceae) in the subfamily

Opuntioideae Opuntioideae is a subfamily of the cactus family, Cactaceae. It contains 15 genera divided into five tribes. The subfamily encompasses roughly 220–250 species, and is geographically distributed throughout the New World from Canada, to Argentina ...

. Unlike typical cacti, it has persistent fleshy leaves. The genus name refers to its resemblance to the genus ''

Pereskia ''Pereskia'' is a small genus of about four species of cacti that do not look much like other types of cacti, having substantial leaves and non-succulent stems. The genus is named after Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc, a 16th-century French bota ...

''. Most species are found in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

south through Guatemala to Honduras, with one species in Bolivia. The incorrect spelling ''Peireskiopsis'' has also been used.

Description

Species of ''Pereskiopsis'' do not have the typical appearance of most cacti, including those in the subfamily

to which it belongs, since they have persistent fleshy leaves. They mostly have a shrubby or treelike growth habit, although some scramble or climb. Their stems have a round cross section and are not divided into segments. Their leaves are flat, succulent and generally long-lasting, and of various shapes, including elliptical and almost round. The characteristic

areole In botany, areoles are small light- to dark-colored bumps on cacti out of which grow clusters of spines. Areoles are important diagnostic features of cacti, and identify them as a family distinct from other succulent plants. Gordon Rowley - W ...

s of cacti are present, and usually have

glochid Glochids or glochidia (singular "glochidium") are hair-like spines or short prickles, generally barbed, found on the areoles of cacti in the sub-family ''Opuntioideae''. Cactus glochids easily detach from the plant and lodge in the skin, causi ...

s marking them as members of the Opuntioideae as well as needle-like spines. Their flowers resemble those of the genus '' Opuntia'', with petals that open widely during the day. The fruits, which have few seeds, are fleshy and often have glochids.

Taxonomy

The genus was described by

Nathaniel Lord Britton Nathaniel Lord Britton (January 15, 1859 – June 25, 1934) was an American botanist and taxonomist who co-founded the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, New York. Early life Britton was born in New Dorp in Staten Island, New York to Jasp ...

and

Joseph Nelson Rose Joseph Nelson Rose (January 11, 1862 – May 4, 1928) was an American botanist. He was born in Union County, Indiana. His father died serving during the Civil War when Joseph Rose was a young boy. He later graduated from high school in Libert ...

in 1907. Species known at that time had been variously placed in either '' Opuntia'' or ''

''. Two were first described in ''Pereskia'' in 1828, and transferred to ''Opuntia'' in 1898 under the section ''Pereskiopuntia''. The genus name means like ''Pereskia'', being derived from the genus name ''Pereskia'' plus the Greek-derived ending -''opsis'' meaning 'appearance'. ''Pereskia'' is named after

Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc (1 December 1580 – 24 June 1637), often known simply as Peiresc, or by the Latin form of his name, Peirescius, was a French astronomer, antiquary and savant, who maintained a wide correspondence with scienti ...

, a 16th-century French botanist. Some sources have used the incorrect spelling ''Peireskiopsis''.

Phylogeny

''Pereskiopsis'' is placed in the tribe Cylindropuntieae of the subfamily Opuntioideae. A 2016 molecular phylogenetic study of the tribe suggested the relationships shown in the following cladogram, where the genera '' Quiabentia'' and ''Pereskiopsis'' are basal to the main clade of ''

Grusonia ''Grusonia'' is a genus of opuntioid cacti (family Cactaceae), originating from the North American Deserts in Southwest United States and northern Mexico, including Baja California. Authors differ on precise boundaries of the genus, which has b ...

'' and '' Cylindropuntia''. However, only two species of ''Pereskiopsis'' were included, and the status of '' Grusonia pulchella'' remains uncertain. The author of the study suggested it be recognized as ''Micropuntia pulchella'', although it could be another species of ''Pereskiopsis''. However, ''G. pulchella'' has deciduous leaves, unlike the persistent leaves characteristic of ''Pereskiopsis''.

Species

, Plants of the World Online accepted seven species: *'' Pereskiopsis aquosa'' (F.A.C.Weber) Britton & Rose *'' Pereskiopsis blakeana'' J.G.Ortega *'' Pereskiopsis brandegeei'' Britton & Rose *'' Pereskiopsis diguetii'' (F.A.C.Weber) Britton & Rose, syn. ''Pereskiopsis spathulata'' (Otto ex Pfeiff.) Britton & Rose *'' Pereskiopsis kellermanii'' Rose *'' Pereskiopsis porteri'' (Brandegee ex F.A.C.Weber) Britton & Rose, syn. ''Pereskiopsis gatesii'' E.M.Baxter *'' Pereskiopsis rotundifolia'' (DC.) Britton & Rose

Distribution

Species of ''Pereskia'' are native from

south through Guatemala to Honduras, with one species, '' Pereskiopsis diguetii'', also being found in Bolivia.

Cultivation

''Pereskiopsis'' species are not often cultivated as ornamental plants. Seedlings are used as grafting stock because of their narrow stem and vigorous growth.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q135617 Opuntioideae genera Opuntioideae