Pereskia

Pereskia is a small genus of about ten species of cacti that do not look much like other types of cacti, having substantial leaves and non-succulent stems. The genus is named after Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc, a 16th-century French botanist. The genus was more widely circumscribed until molecular phylogenetic studies showed that it was paraphyletic. Some species have since been transferred to Leuenbergeria, and also to Rhodocactus by some sources, although not by Plants of the World Online as of April 2026. Although Pereskia does not resemble other cacti in its overall morphology, close examination shows spines developing from areoles, and the distinctive floral cup of the cactus family.