Sign in Start free
Species library › Pereskia › Pereskia aculeata
Succulents Well documented

Pereskia aculeata

A vigorous, leafy climbing cactus from tropical and subtropical South America that scrambles over trees with hooked spines and bears fragrant cream flowers followed by edible fruit. It behaves like a tropical vine: lots of water and feeding in summer, and a slightly drier, cooler winter.

Pereskia aculeata
Photo: scott.zona from Miami, Florida, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day IntermediateTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Ordinary room humidityBand in Plantistry
Light Bright, filtered lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
Expects a seasonal restClimber

Where it grows wild

Climbs through forest edges, secondary woodland and thickets, often reaching into tree canopies so the foliage sits in bright light while the base stays shaded.

Mostly lowland to about 1,000 m, median around 430 m; very high and below-sea-level elevations in the records are errors.

BrazilParaguayNortheast ArgentinaBoliviaColombiaVenezuelaGuianasPanamá

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates
✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it
✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light
✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it
✓ Substrate and airflow
✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

Grow Pereskia aculeata? Add it to a free garden and its full profile opens. Pro opens all 38,374 profiles in the library, plants and fungi.

Start free Sign in

More Pereskia

Pereskia grandifolia Pereskia sacharosa Pereskia stenantha Pereskia bahiensis Pereskia nemorosa

Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, used under its CC BY 2.0 licence, unmodified.