PlantPeers
Back to Catalog
No image available
Cactaceae FAMILY Least Concern

Leuenbergeria guamacho

Leuenbergeria guamacho

Edibility
2/5
Medicinal
3/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitDeciduous Tree
Growth—

Leuenbergia species occur in dry forests and thorn-scrub habitats in a tropical climate with a more or less pronounced dry season of about two to five months[1]. Species in this genus generally prefes a well-drained, circum-neutral soil in a sunny position[2]. Species in this genus can be evergreen, but are deciduous under conditions with seasonal drought. Iin cultivation they also lose their leaves if the mean temperature falls below around 15°c[1]. The plant comes into flower towards the end of the dry season, when it is still leafless[1]. The flowers open during the day and only last one day[1].

Propagation

Seed - fresh seed can be slow to germinate, it is best to sow seed that is between several months to 2 years old and this should germinate after a few days. Even when five years old, seed can have a 50% germination rate[1]. Easily grown from cuttings of half-ripe wood, taken during the dry season[3, 1]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Leuenbergeria+guamacho>

Pollinators

Insects

References

  1. [1]Pereskia (Cactaceae) — Leuenberger B.E. · The New York Botanical Garden; Bronx, New York · 1986 · ISBN 0-89327-307-4 ↩︎The genus Pereskia (sensu lato) has been divided into several genera since this treatment was written, but it still remains an excellent guide to the plants.
  2. [2]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  3. [3]Fruits of Warm Climates — Morton. J. · Florida Flair books, Florida. · 1987 · ISBN 0961018410 ↩︎A very well written guide to about 125 species.
  4. [4]The Cactus Family — Anderson E.F. · Timber Press; Portland, Oregon · 2001 · ISBN 0-88192-498-9 ↩︎An excellent work, giving botanical descriptions of virtually all the cacti, together with their range (but not their habitats) and sometimes also a photo. it also contains a long chapter detailing the many uses of cacti and another on cultivation..
  5. [5]IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — http://www.iucnredlist.org/ ↩︎A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
  6. [6]Perennial Edible Fruits of the Tropics : an Inventory — Martin, F. W.; Campbell, C. W.; Rubertbe, R. M. · U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service · 1987 ↩︎A booklet giving terse details of almost 300 species of edible fruits, plus regional lists of Botanical and Common names for over 2,500 less well-known edible fruits of the tropics.
  7. [7]Food Plants in the Americas: A Survey of the Domesticated, Cultivated, and Wild Plants Used for Human Food in North, — Kermath B.M.; Bennett B.C.' Pulsipher L.M. · 2014 ↩︎A pre-publication draft of an amazing, on-going work first started in 1985. It contains information on more than 3,900 taxa from the Americas - from Arctic regions to the Tropics
  8. [8]Astonishing diversity - the medicinal plant markets of Bogotá, Colombia — Bussmann R.W. et al · 2018 · https://doi.org/10.1186/s13002-018-0241-8 ↩︎