Several species of this genus have been split out into Leuenbergeria in honor of Swiss Pereskia specialist and longtime director of the Berlin-Dahlem Botanical Garden, Beat Ernst Leuenberger (1946-2010). Most of the South American species (as opposed to Caribbean and Central American) have been retained in the genus Pereskia. Included here is Pereskia humboldtii, the name under which we received this offering. It was named for famed South American explorer Alexander von Humboldt but is now considered a synonym of Pereskia horrida. The epithet horrida for this plant predates humboldtii by a century and refers to the general spininess of the thicket of branches formed by this species. While most cactus collectors may not be enticed to grow a spiny thicket of branches, they may be interested in the caudiciform roots that this plant can form. In time, a mound of contorted tubers can be elevated and grown above ground like a caudex. We offer rooted cuttings of HBG 65931 beginning to form tubers at the base. Our plant originally came from Abbey Garden Nursery in 1980. The species is reported from dry valleys of the Marañon River drainage in Peru, growing in dry forests and brushland from 500 to 760 meters. $7.
Published in the Cactus and Succulent Journal, Vol. 93 (2), Summer 2021