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View Full Version : Cactus Strawberries - Echinocereus


Richard
01-26-2011, 12:16 AM
Here's another genera of Cactus with several species that produce very edible fruits: Echinocereus, the Hedgehog Cacti of the tribe Pachycereeae (http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/gnlist.pl?1905). Some notable species:

Echinocereus dasyacanthus - Chihuahua, Spiny Hedgehog, Texas Rainbow. Small, very sweet greenish-purple fruits reminiscent of gooseberry.
Echinocereus enneacanthus - Strawberry Cactus, Alicoche. Excellent flavor. Preserves of these fruits are indistinguishable from strawberry jam.
Echinoeceus stramineus - Mexican Strawberry, Alicoche, Pitahaya de Agosto. Acidic and mildly sweet, reminiscent of strawberries.

:0517:

Caloosamusa
01-26-2011, 07:26 AM
Thank you Richard for the information! It is appreciated! :jalapenonaner:

saltydad
01-26-2011, 02:26 PM
I tried Echinocereus triglochidiatus outside. It did great, but failed to make it through the winter. (http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Cactaceae/Echinocereus_trigloch.html)

Richard
01-26-2011, 10:09 PM
I tried Echinocereus triglochidiatus outside. It did great, but failed to make it through the winter. (http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Cactaceae/Echinocereus_trigloch.html)

In the link you provide, Desert Tropicals is wrong to call this species "Strawberry Cactus". The most common names are Red Claret-Cup and Red Hedgehog Cactus. The species varieties they list near the bottom are a further conundrum, which can be disambiguated by looking at Echinocereus triglochidiatus in the GRIN List of Echinocereus Species (http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/splist.pl?4097).

In his book "Cornucopia II", Stephan Facciola writes:
Echinocereus triglochidiatus - Red hedgehog-cactus. Bright red fruits are eaten fresh or made into preserves. The fruit pulp is sliced and baked like squash, or made into a sweet pickle by baking it in sugar.