National Collection of Imperiled Plants

CPC National Collection Plant Profile

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Meghan Fellows

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CPC National Collection Plant Profile

Cereus eriophorus var. fragrans

Family:	Cactaceae
Common Names:	fragrant prickly-apple cactus, fragrant wooly cactus
Author:	(Small ex Britton & Rose) L.D. Benson
Growth Habit:	Shrub
CPC Number:	873

Distribution
Protection
Conservation
References

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Photographer: Meghan Fellows
Image Owner: Fairchild Tropical Garden

Cereus eriophorus var. fragrans is Fully Sponsored

Primary custodian for this plant in the CPC National Collection of Endangered Plants is:

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden

Jennifer Possley contributed to this Plant Profile.

Cereus eriophorus var. fragrans

Harrisia fragrans is a columnar cactus endemic to south Florida. It may reach 3-5 m tall (reports vary), though it frequently has a sprawling, more horizontal growth form (Britton and Rose 1920, Benson 1982, USFWS 1988). The fragrant, showy, pink to white flowers reach 10 cm long and bloom nocturnally (Rae 1995). Fruits are orange-red and reach 5 cm in diameter.

Distribution & Occurrence

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State Range

Florida

Habitat

Harrisia fragrans can be found growing on dry sandy soil of coastal berms and early successional sand pine scrub (USFWS 1999, Coile 2000) and also on rockland hammock sites (IRC, personal communication). This species prefers partial shade (Rae 1994).

Distribution

In 1984, only one remaining population of this species was known from a short strip of land in St. Lucie county, Florida, with a second population having recently been extirpated from Malabar (Brevard County) (USFWS 1988) Since then, at least one new population was discovered. In addition, The Institute for Regional Conservation (IRC) is studying previously unknown (or misidentified) populations in Monroe county.

Number Left

In 1999, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reported that approximately 320 individuals exist in 11 small, disjunct sites in eastern St. Lucie County (these 11 sites were described as 3 sites, prior to habitat fragmentation).
The number of individuals in Monroe county is unknown.

Protection

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Global Rank:	G1	7/11/1994	Guide to Global Ranks
Federal Status:	LE	11/1/1985	Guide to Federal Status
Recovery Plan:	Yes	8/29/1988

State/Area Protection

	State/Area	Rank	Status	Date
	Florida	S1	LE	4/12/1990

Conservation, Ecology & Research

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Ecological Relationships

� It is believed that seeds from Harrisia fragrans are probably bird dispersed (USFWS 1999) as is evidenced by a discovery in the late 1980's of a new population on an island in the Indian River (St. Lucie County).
� It is speculated that young H. fragrans plants may have increased survival rates when associated with a "nurse plant," which facilitates success of the cacti by providing shade and support (USFWS 1999).
� Woodpeckers often peck holes in the stems, which may increase rot and stem death (USFWS 1999).
� H. fragrans can colonize bare sand, and may benefit from periodic mild disturbance (USFWS 1988).
� Life history traits found show that Harrisia fragrans prefers partial shade.
� This species reproduces both sexually and vegetatively (Rae 1995).
� Flowering occurs April-September, with peaks in May and September. Substantial numbers of fruit often remain on stems for 8 months out of the year. One fruit was counted as having over 700 seeds.
� Major structural growth occurs July through September (Rae 1995).

Threats

Threats include habitat loss and resulting fragmentation, stochastic events, herbicide in St. Lucie County, off road vehicle recreation (USFWS 1988, 1999), canopy closure, which may lead to reproductive failure (Rae 1995), and possibly poaching.

Current Research Summary

� Miami's Institute for Regional Conservation (IRC) is currently conducting monitoring and research on this species.
Work by Rae in the 1980's and 1990's have revealed several population and life history traits: long-term demographic studies 1994a) showed a 41% decline in number of individuals, as well as a general failure to recruit. Additional surveys between 1993 and 1996 showed another 40% decline. Reasons for this decrease in fitness are unknown, but may stem from vegetational changes and increasing canopy cover (USFWS 1999).

Current Management Summary

Responsible agencies in Palm Beach County are private landowners, Savannas State Reserve and Walton Scrub Reserve. The extent of monitoring and management by park staff is unknown. Responsible agencies in Monroe County are unknown.

Research Management Needs

Management needs include: habitat protection, a population inventory, continued and regular population monitoring regime (Rae 1994 b, Bradley et al. 2000) Implementation for habitat requirements, such as partial shade preference and communication by land managers in the two disjunct locales.

Ex Situ Needs

Fairchild Tropical Garden has some propagules, but would need to increase inventory if plans for establishing new populations are to be realized.

References

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Books (Single Authors)

Britton, N.L.; Rose, J.N. 1920. The Cactaceae: descriptions and illustrations of plants of the cactus family. New York: Dover Publications, Inc.

Coile, N.C. 2000. Notes on Florida's Regulated Plant Index (Rule 5B-40), Botany Contribution 38. Gainesville, Florida: Florida Dept. of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry.

FNAI. 2000. Field Guide to the Rare Plants and Animals of Florida online. Florida Natural Areas Inventory.

Books (Sections)

Small, J.K. 1920. Harrisia fragrans. In: Britton, N.L.; Rose, N.J., editors. The Cactaceae. Dover Publishing Company, Inc. New York. p 149-150.

Electronic Sources

(2002). Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants. [Web site] University of South Florida Institute for Systematic Botany. http://www.plantatlas.usf.edu/isb/default.htm. Accessed: 2008.

(2002). New York Botanical Garden--The Virtual Herbarium. [Searchable Web site] New York Botanical Garden. Fordham Road Bronx, New York. http://scisun.nybg.org:8890/searchdb/owa/wwwspecimen.searchform. Accessed: 2002.

Denton, S. (2001). Photo Library of Native and Naturalized Plants of Florida. Biological Research Associates. http://www.biolresearch.com/Plants/index.php?id=C. Accessed: 2002.

USFWS. (1990). Endangered and Threatened Species Accounts. [Web page] U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Endangered Species. http://ecos.fws.gov/servlet/TESSSpeciesQuery. Accessed: 2002.

Journal Articles

Rae, J.G.; Ebert, T.A. 2002. Demography of the endangered fragrant prickly apple cactus, Harrisia fragrans. Plant Sciences. 163, 4: 631-640.

Rae, J.G. 1995. Aspects of the population and reproductive ecology of the endangered fragrant prickly-apple cactus [Cereus eriophorus var. fragrans (Small) L. Benson]. Castanea. 60, 3: 255-269.

USFWS. 2001. A newsletter dedicated to sharing information about the Florida scrub ecosystem. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: Saving Our Scrub. 2, 3: 8.

Villa-Lobos, J. 1999. South Florida Multi-Species Recovery Plan. Plant Talk, Plant Conservation Worldwide. No. 18: 15.

Reports

Bradley, K.A.; Woodmansee, S.W.; Gann, G.D. 2000. Fragrant Prickly-Apple (Harrisia fragrans) Annual Monitoring and Mapping, Interim Report. Tallahassee, Florida: Florida Division of Forestry: Statewide Endangered and Threatened Plant Conservation Program.

Rae, John G. 1994. Element Stewardship Abstract (ESA) for the Fragrant Prickly-Apple Cactus. Tallahassee, Florida: Florida Division of Forestry: Statewide Endangered and Threatened Plant Conservation Program.

Rae, John G. 1994. Future Monitoring Efforts for the Fragrant Prickly-Apple. Tallahassee, Florida: Florida Division of Forestry: Statewide Endangered and Threatened Plant Conservation Program.

Rae, John G. 1994. General Management Plan - Cereus eriophorus var. fragrans. Tallahassee, Florida: Florida Division of Forestry: Statewide Endangered and Threatened Plant Conservation Program.

Rae, John G. 1994. Summary of Five Year Monitoring Program of the Fragrant Prickly-Apple Cactus. Tallahassee, Florida: Florida Division of Forestry: Statewide Endangered and Threatened Plant Conservation Program.

Rae, John G. 1996. Distribution of the Fragrant Prickly-Apple Cactus. Tallahassee, Florida: Florida Division of Forestry: Statewide Endangered and Threatened Plant Conservation Program.

USFWS. 1988. Agency Draft Recovery Plan for Fragrant Prickly-apple Cactus (Cereus eriophorus var. fragrans). Atlanta, Georgia: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. p.28.

USFWS. 1999. South Florida Multi-species Recovery Plan. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Southeast Region.

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This profile was updated on 3/4/2010