Melocactus curvispinus
Pfeiff.
(c) ecosdelatierraac, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) ecosdelatierraac, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) ecosdelatierraac, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit
The stems are used to make candy. Cubes of the plant's flesh are cooked in a concentrated sugary solution and turned into sweets - the cactus merely acts as a vehicle for the sugary flavour Fruit - raw. A pleasant taste. The bright red to deep magenta fruit is usually 18 - 40mm long (exceptionally to 60mm) and 8 - 16mm in diameter.
Where to Find It
It is a tropical plant.
Andes, Central America, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, South America,
How to Identify
A tropical cactus in the family Cactaceae, bearing red edible fruit.
How to Grow
Melocactus curvispinus is found in arid and semi-arid lands of tropical and subtropical zones at elevations up to 1,250 metres.
Medicinal Uses
The plant is used in medicinal drinks. No more information
Wikipedia
Source ↗Melocactus curvispinus is a species of Melocactus found from southern Mexico to Venezuela.
Other Information
The fresh fruit are tasty.
Names & Synonyms
Barba de viejo, Cabeza de negro
References (5)
- Kermath, B. M., et al, 2014, Food Plants in the Americas: A survey of the domesticated, cultivated and wild plants used for Human food in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean. On line draft. p 529
- Lopez-Diago, D. & Garcia, N., 2021, Wild edible fruits of Colombia. Biota ColomBiana 22 (2) p 34
- Reis, S. V. and Lipp, F. L., 1982, New Plant Sources for Drugs and Foods from the New York Botanical Garden herbarium. Harvard. p 200 (As Cactus maconii)
- Roa, J. A. G. & Boada, D. S. G., 2018, Fundación para el Fortalecimiento de la Fruticultura y Plantas Alimenticias no Convencionales en Colombia.
- Rosero-Toro, et al, 2018, Cultural significance of the flora of a tropical dry forest in the Doche vereda (Villavieja, Huila, Colombia). Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine (2018) 14:22 p 11
