Harrisia aboriginum

The west coast prickly apple is characterized by its slender columnar stems that sprawl out from a single base. These plants can reach up to 20 feet in height though sometimes the stems recline with age. It has scented white flowers up to 5 inches long, and a round fruit that shifts from yellow to red through development, somewhat resembling the appearance of an apple. Each fruit is packed full of hundreds of black seeds.

The plant's natural habitat is usually coastal hammock strands. Thriving best in partial shade, these cacti are often found around larger trees including Live Oaks, Sabal palmetto or Wild Lime. Coastal hammocks of this kind have become uncommon in many coastal areas of central and south Florida due to clearing for development. This rapid overdevelopment is the main factor in the decline of the Prickly Apple population.

Closeup of cacti fruit.

While once spread through much of southern Florida and the keys, the remaining populations of the cactus can now be found in Sarasota and Lee counties in less than a dozen known locations. Currently, the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens are working closely with the US Fish & Wildlife Service to try and save it from extinction by cultivating individual cacti to be re-established in their former habitat.

• Media related to Harrisia aboriginum at Wikimedia Commons