Common name: Barbados Gooseberry
Pereskia aculeata Mill. APNI* 
Description: Woody shrub, at first erect but branches often long and scrambling, to 10 m long; older woody stems with clusters of straight spines 1–5 cm long; spines in axils of leaves curved, paired, 3–5 mm long.
Leaves obovate to elliptic, 4–7 cm long, 20–30 mm wide, green or lower surface purplish, ± succulent; petiole 3–6 mm long.
Flowers white, yellowish or pink, 25–40 mm diam.; ovary leafy, mostly spiny.
Fruit yellowish, 15–20 mm diam., smooth when mature.
Flowering: summer.
Distribution and occurrence: Native of trop. Amer. Naturalized along river banks, lower Clarence R.
NSW subdivisions: *NC, *CC
Other Australian states: *Qld
Text by G. J. Harden
Taxon concept: Flora of NSW 1 (1990)
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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