Harrisia

Morphological Summary

Harrisia is a genus of night-blooming columnar cacti distributed across the Caribbean islands, southern Florida, and eastern South America (Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil). Their stems are elongated, often climbing or leaning, with well-marked ribs and spiny areoles. Flowers are large, white, very fragrant, and nocturnal, followed by spherical red or orange fruits with edible white pulp. Some species are critically endangered (H. fragrans in Florida), while others (H. martinii, H. bonplandii) have become invasive in Australia, Madagascar, and other regions. H. jusbertii is widely used as grafting stock in cultivation. The genus is named after William Harris, the Jamaican botanist.