Author Topic: Cereus sp. with red/purple pulp fruit  (Read 2359 times)

CaliLowWater

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Cereus sp. with red/purple pulp fruit
« on: May 05, 2020, 12:25:45 AM »
Hey guys!

I was just wondering if anyone has experience with Cereus sp. (I.e. Peruvian apple cactus and relatives) fruit that is red/purple inside as opposed to the usual white. If you do, where did you get the cactus from? Is the fruit sweet? What species is it?

Here are some pictures of what is claimed to be Cereus forbesii from argentina. Looks yummy!






















CaliLowWater

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Re: Cereus sp. with red/purple pulp fruit
« Reply #1 on: May 06, 2020, 06:09:02 PM »
Nobody has any experiences? I guess this species is *very* rare in cultivation, at least as an adult plant.  Hence, I went ahead and purchased some young seedling plants that should arrive soon. I'll let you guys know in a few years how the fruit turn out....haha.

In the meantime, if anyone wants to chime in with anything...such as "I know someone who has a fruiting plant", please feel free to do so. Exchanging cuttings would greatly accelerate the fruiting process.

Ertdude

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Re: Cereus sp. with red/purple pulp fruit
« Reply #2 on: May 06, 2020, 07:09:41 PM »
Where'd you get the seedlings?

CaliLowWater

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Re: Cereus sp. with red/purple pulp fruit
« Reply #3 on: May 06, 2020, 07:37:05 PM »
Locally from a guy that grew them from seed. Last three he had left. Technically, they are not seedlings anymore either since they are quite large, but I said "seedling" to distinguish them from cuttings. Cuttings would be the optimal solution though.

ricshaw

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Re: Cereus sp. with red/purple pulp fruit
« Reply #4 on: May 08, 2020, 05:06:50 PM »

I was just wondering if anyone has experience with Cereus sp. (I.e. Peruvian apple cactus and relatives) fruit that is red/purple inside as opposed to the usual white. If you do, where did you get the cactus from? Is the fruit sweet? What species is it?




That looks nothing like the red-flesh apple cactus fruit I have seen.

I did not believe that the red-flesh fruit I saw was actually Cereus peruvianus.

NateTheGreat

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Re: Cereus sp. with red/purple pulp fruit
« Reply #5 on: May 08, 2020, 05:46:36 PM »
I looked in The New Cactus Lexicon. Cereus forbesii is not in there, but from this site Cereus hankeanus is a synonym. http://www.llifle.com/Encyclopedia/CACTI/Family/Cactaceae/7058/Cereus_forbesii

The pictures of C. hankeanus are not an exact match, but it says there are three types of Cereus widespread in the Andes at 2000-2600 m. One with yellow-green fruits with magenta pulp, known as C. hankeanus; one with red fruit and purple-magena pulp, known as C. validus auctt; and one with red fruit and white pulp, known as C. huilunchu. It gives the range as Argentina. "Identification of the plants in our illustrations is very tentative, especially in the absence of information about their fruits."

Kew has a picture of C. hankeanus that looks similar, but with small spines. http://www.kew.org/science/tropamerica/imagedatabase/large264/cat_single264-1.htm

Edit: I missed an entry for C. forbesii. "As the original application of this name, which was described from sterile material, is very uncertain, it should be rejected as confused and untypifiable. It is however accepted by Kiesling as the correct name for a widespread Argentinian taxon, also known as C. validus auctt non Haw., of which the fruit has red pulp, here referred to C. hankeanus."

« Last Edit: May 08, 2020, 05:49:28 PM by NateTheGreat »

CaliLowWater

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Re: Cereus sp. with red/purple pulp fruit
« Reply #6 on: May 09, 2020, 03:05:43 AM »


That looks nothing like the red-flesh apple cactus fruit I have seen.

I did not believe that the red-flesh fruit I saw was actually Cereus peruvianus.

You actually saw the fruit in person? Where? Did it look more like this? It's supposedly Cereus validus.:




CaliLowWater

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Re: Cereus sp. with red/purple pulp fruit
« Reply #7 on: May 09, 2020, 03:21:14 AM »
The pictures of C. hankeanus are not an exact match, but it says there are three types of Cereus widespread in the Andes at 2000-2600 m. One with yellow-green fruits with magenta pulp, known as C. hankeanus; one with red fruit and purple-magena pulp, known as C. validus auctt; and one with red fruit and white pulp, known as C. huilunchu. It gives the range as Argentina. "Identification of the plants in our illustrations is very tentative, especially in the absence of information about their fruits."


The supposedly C. hankeanus fruit sure looks pretty red on the outside too.  Where did you get the above information by the way? It's not in any of the links. Yellow-green fruit? I don't see any yellow in the pictures I posted, but green does fit the bill. In any case, I am amazed that these cacti with red pulp fruit have not made their way to the US in large numbers given how potentially attractive they are. Even if their fruit tastes bland, they could be mixed with very sweet "peruvian apple" types to produce pink or red fruit producing hybrids...kinda like they did with Dragon Fruit.

Rannman

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Re: Cereus sp. with red/purple pulp fruit
« Reply #8 on: May 09, 2020, 05:03:57 AM »
According to Matt’s Landscape, Cereus Validus is white fleshed.

CaliLowWater

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Re: Cereus sp. with red/purple pulp fruit
« Reply #9 on: May 09, 2020, 01:06:41 PM »
According to Matt’s Landscape, Cereus Validus is white fleshed.

According to pretty much every other source out there, he's wrong, including some international (German/Spanish etc) sources. Having said that, I'm sure he believes he has C. validus though.

NateTheGreat

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Re: Cereus sp. with red/purple pulp fruit
« Reply #10 on: May 09, 2020, 01:51:10 PM »
The pictures of C. hankeanus are not an exact match, but it says there are three types of Cereus widespread in the Andes at 2000-2600 m. One with yellow-green fruits with magenta pulp, known as C. hankeanus; one with red fruit and purple-magena pulp, known as C. validus auctt; and one with red fruit and white pulp, known as C. huilunchu. It gives the range as Argentina. "Identification of the plants in our illustrations is very tentative, especially in the absence of information about their fruits."


The supposedly C. hankeanus fruit sure looks pretty red on the outside too.  Where did you get the above information by the way? It's not in any of the links. Yellow-green fruit? I don't see any yellow in the pictures I posted, but green does fit the bill. In any case, I am amazed that these cacti with red pulp fruit have not made their way to the US in large numbers given how potentially attractive they are. Even if their fruit tastes bland, they could be mixed with very sweet "peruvian apple" types to produce pink or red fruit producing hybrids...kinda like they did with Dragon Fruit.














ricshaw

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Re: Cereus sp. with red/purple pulp fruit
« Reply #11 on: May 09, 2020, 01:52:54 PM »

You actually saw the fruit in person? Where? Did it look more like this? It's supposedly Cereus validus.:


One of the places people have told me that they have seen Cereus validus is at the Huntington Library and Gardens, in San Marino, CA.

ricshaw

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Re: Cereus sp. with red/purple pulp fruit
« Reply #12 on: May 09, 2020, 02:29:45 PM »

You actually saw the fruit in person?


I never saw the fruit in person.

The closest I got to purchasing a plant was when I saw it at the Mango Professor's house. He would not let me have one reasonably. So I thought I would wait. I do not know what happened to the plants he was growing.





CaliLowWater

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Re: Cereus sp. with red/purple pulp fruit
« Reply #13 on: May 09, 2020, 05:17:20 PM »
Thanks Nate! That's valuable information! :) 

Ric...are those all supposedly Cereus validus in the pictures? Since he does not appear to have a mature one, where did all those cuttings come from?

As for the Huntington plant, I've seen pictures of it online (never noticed it there myself), but no picture shows any fruit on it. I wonder what the Huntington does with the cuttings over the years that they need to take to keep the plant in check and good looking...I hope they are not just throwing them away.


CaliLowWater

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Re: Cereus sp. with red/purple pulp fruit
« Reply #15 on: May 09, 2020, 05:25:51 PM »
Seems the local name is ucle.

Yes, it is! :) 

Here is the picture of one of the Huntington plants by the way. I'd say it looks kinda like the pictures in the first post, NOT like the pictures in Ric's post, which appear to be spineless, different color, deeper ribs...etc:




Abbadabba

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Re: Cereus sp. with red/purple pulp fruit
« Reply #16 on: August 27, 2022, 04:15:40 PM »
This is prop lifted fruit from a Cereus forbesii C. validas auctt I found on the ground in Tucson beneath same cactus.  Some were still green, but the skin of the fruit turns a lovely deep purple red. 

This is the magenta pulp folks want. This one is drying out while another has already spouted seeds for me.  Thick skin like a Peruvian apple which shrinks as the fruit dries.  Nice taste, too.  Drinks will be amazing colors.


Abbadabba

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Re: Cereus sp. with red/purple pulp fruit
« Reply #17 on: August 27, 2022, 04:21:48 PM »

I am unable to post the photo, but it is very lovely.  Sorry.