Form: shrub — perennial
Status: not present in WA
Appearance
A spiny rope-like night flowering cactus, forming tangled mats 30-60 centimetres high, reproducing both vegetatively and by seed.
Stems: Bright green, fleshy 2.5-4 centimetres diameter, ribbed lengthwise, with each rib having pyramid-like humps 5-7.5 centimetres apart. At the top of each is a tuft of grey felted hairs, with one to three sharp central spines 10-35 millimetres long and some five to seven radial spines one to six millimetres long.
Leaves: Inconspicuous, at base of spines.
Flowers: White, large, funnel shaped with petals fusing into a slender green tube 15-20 centimetres long. Flowers open for one night and wither in the early morning.
Fruit: Red, almost spherical four to five centimetres diameter with several wart like protuberances topped by cushions of felted hairs and spines similar to those on the stem. When ripe the fruit splits down one side. It contains some 400 to 600 seeds embedded in white pulp.
Seeds: Black, small and almost spherical.
Agricultural and economic impact
An environmental weed. Dense infestations in pastoral areas can interfere with livestock feeding and farming operations such as mustering.
Declared pest category
The Western Australian Organism List (WAOL) contains information on the area(s) in which this pest is declared and the control and keeping categories to which it has been assigned in Western Australia (WA). Search for Harrisia cactus in the WAOL using the scientific name Harrisia martinii.
Requirements for land owners/occupiers and other persons
Requirements for land owners/occupiers and other persons if this pest is found can be sourced through the declared plant requirements link.
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Control method
Control methods for this declared plant can be found through the Harrisia cactus control link.