are all? cactus fruit edible
are all? cactus fruit edible
Hi
Saw the posts earlier re Opuntia pads, and fruits and wondered more broadly - are any cacti fruit not edible.
I haven't tried many, tho I have eaten some Mamm and Melocactus fruit and they were actaully pretty good, considering they are only about 1/2 inch long. Obviously some like Hylocereus and Opuntia are sold in markets.
are there some that are poisonous, or harmful,
Saw the posts earlier re Opuntia pads, and fruits and wondered more broadly - are any cacti fruit not edible.
I haven't tried many, tho I have eaten some Mamm and Melocactus fruit and they were actaully pretty good, considering they are only about 1/2 inch long. Obviously some like Hylocereus and Opuntia are sold in markets.
are there some that are poisonous, or harmful,
Re: are all? cactus fruit edible
I don't think any are poisonous, but I'm not sure I'd test it. There are too many species of cactus for me to feel comfortable declaring none of them are bad for you. I wonder if Lophophora or Echinopsis pachanoi fruit have enough mescaline to cause any side effects?
I'm now selling plants on Ebay. Check it out! Kyle's Plants
Re: are all? cactus fruit edible
probably not, in the case of l. williamsii it takes a complete fullgrown plant to have any effect at allI wonder if Lophophora or Echinopsis pachanoi fruit have enough mescaline to cause any side effects?
With apologies to the late Professor C. D. Darlington the following misquotation springs to
mind ‘cactus taxonomy is the pursuit of the impossible by the incompetent’ - Fearn & Pearcy, Rebutia (1981)
mind ‘cactus taxonomy is the pursuit of the impossible by the incompetent’ - Fearn & Pearcy, Rebutia (1981)
- Peterthecactusguy
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Re: are all? cactus fruit edible
that really is depending onthe plant and the growing conditions, however from what I have heard any FLESHY fruits are edible. (L. williamsii and E. pachanoi are both fleshy FYI)
Here's to you, all you insidious creatures of green..er I mean cacti.
- gemhunter178
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Re: are all? cactus fruit edible
Not quite poisonous,and adding on to what Peterthecactusguy said, but I would rather not eat a dried-out fruit such as some Ariocarpi.....
A cactus and succulent collector who especially likes Ariocarpus. …Though I have a bit of everything! Want some pictures? See my flickr! I also do art and such.
Re: are all? cactus fruit edible
What I have read suggests 5-15 full grown plant "buttons", the tops of the cacti seen above the soil, are used for one trip by the NAC members who take it. I dont know how anyone could do that to such cute cacti though...Arjen wrote:probably not, in the case of l. williamsii it takes a complete fullgrown plant to have any effect at all
Re: are all? cactus fruit edible
I would love to see someone try to eat the "fruits" off of my A. asterias nudum. They were all seeds with a wool covered and very thin skin!gemhunter178 wrote:Not quite poisonous,and adding on to what Peterthecactusguy said, but I would rather not eat a dried-out fruit such as some Ariocarpi.....
Re: are all? cactus fruit edible
Not that I'd promote drug use, but I really wish that if people felt compelled to have a mescaline high they would learn about the San Pedro Cactus. Same chemical, but in a big, branched, and fast growing plant. It isn't endangered and you don't have to kill the thing to use it. Seems a lot better than having to kill off a dozen slow growing endangered plants!Subverted wrote:What I have read suggests 5-15 full grown plant "buttons", the tops of the cacti seen above the soil, are used for one trip by the NAC members who take it. I dont know how anyone could do that to such cute cacti though...Arjen wrote:probably not, in the case of l. williamsii it takes a complete fullgrown plant to have any effect at all
I'm now selling plants on Ebay. Check it out! Kyle's Plants
Re: are all? cactus fruit edible
I agree with that totally!
All Cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are Cacti
Re: are all? cactus fruit edible
As I understand it...the NAC places a special spiritual meaning on the L williamsii and their use...not just the mescaline contained within. That said, aside from religious use I have no arguments with your position. The plants survive when harvested properly according to what I have read, usually...but harvesting properly appears to just be slicing off the above ground part of the cactus with a paint scraper!Saxicola wrote:Not that I'd promote drug use, but I really wish that if people felt compelled to have a mescaline high they would learn about the San Pedro Cactus. Same chemical, but in a big, branched, and fast growing plant. It isn't endangered and you don't have to kill the thing to use it. Seems a lot better than having to kill off a dozen slow growing endangered plants!
This presentation/slide show/whatever is a very well put together bit of info, at least as far as I can tell. The whole website is very interesting. Anyway, they actually did some research about how harvesting influences populations and the average mortality that it induces. This page also presents info about the commercial peyote harvest for the NAC... None of it paints a particularly happy picture, but I found it to be a very interesting read.
And...I think that is more than enough of my derailing this thread.
- Peterthecactusguy
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Re: are all? cactus fruit edible
as I understand it lopping the top off of an L. williamsii doesn't kill it. They grow back. ( that doesn't change the endangered part, nor the it's illegal in the US to have/grow them). Also from what I have heard it takes WAY more of the San Pedros to equal the high form the "buttons" of peyote. I really have no opinion on whether people should get high off of a plant or not. It's their body. I think mostly it bugs me that people destroy such a "cute" cacti as someone else mentioned.
Here's to you, all you insidious creatures of green..er I mean cacti.
Re: are all? cactus fruit edible
wow, this has gotten way off topic, lol
Re: are all? cactus fruit edible
no I think the topic is close - as for getting high on plants = wrong - the shamans that use sad Pedro use it for healing - the Indians use the peyote and the Pedro for a journey to the soul which seems ok if its there religion- and from what I have read but not tried the torch cactus can have as much content as the peyote but you need to research and to obtain would be difficult. ultimately having grown all from seeds It would be a hard day to cut down such a beautiful plant. and to eat the fruit off a Pedro ? have you seen them furry white cotton seed no pulp. but I have also read the flower from a Pedro does contain some useful components and the fruit from the peyote is very small to small to do any thing but I have seen the ants carry off the entire fruit from a peyote in less than a day "lost all those seeds" and I have a bird that likes peyote seedlings - go figure- the rat pulls them out but doesn't eat them
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Re: are all? cactus fruit edible
Quite a lot of cactus fruit are just dry containers with lots of seeds, possibly with lots of hairs/bristles/spines too.
I assume, but don't know, that all the juicy berries are edible. As in non toxic, but not necessarily tasty. A great many species do seem to be eaten, either cultivated or from wild harvesting. There's a thread here, 1 person has listed a number of species: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/18011 ... are-edible
Lophophora williamsii fruits are slightly sweet, a little bland, sort of pleasant / unremarkable. Not that I've ever had more than 1 or 2 ripe at the same time, so it's hard to get a real idea of the flavour. Sucking the fruit, swallowing the pulp and retrieving the seeds is a fun way to clean seeds.
I assume, but don't know, that all the juicy berries are edible. As in non toxic, but not necessarily tasty. A great many species do seem to be eaten, either cultivated or from wild harvesting. There's a thread here, 1 person has listed a number of species: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/18011 ... are-edible
Lophophora williamsii fruits are slightly sweet, a little bland, sort of pleasant / unremarkable. Not that I've ever had more than 1 or 2 ripe at the same time, so it's hard to get a real idea of the flavour. Sucking the fruit, swallowing the pulp and retrieving the seeds is a fun way to clean seeds.
- Dawnstar75
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Re: are all? cactus fruit edible
BAhahahhhahahha ohhh thats funny stuff let em trip on a cattle crippler!! ~*~Subverted wrote: ↑Wed Sep 26, 2012 10:44 pmI would love to see someone try to eat the "fruits" off of my A. asterias nudum. They were all seeds with a wool covered and very thin skin!gemhunter178 wrote:Not quite poisonous,and adding on to what Peterthecactusguy said, but I would rather not eat a dried-out fruit such as some Ariocarpi.....