Auxin Posted July 12, 2008 (edited) A great many times I have seen sources say that 'some cacti fruits are edible' or 'many cacti fruits are edible and some taste good' but I've never seen anyone list a specific cactus species as bearing toxic fruit, are there any? I realize some are dry and bland and just plain not worth bothering with but if I were starving to death in the desert could I safely eat any and every cactus fruit I could find? Escobaria vivipara fruit is listed as being eaten in 'small amounts' to cure diarrhea, are those safe to eat in larger amounts? I've heard that all species of Mammillaria, Echinocereus, Opuntia, and Pediocactus (my states only non-Opuntia native) have edible fruit, can I trust generalizations that broad? Edit: for the record no, I am not going to go out and eat wild Pediocactus berries Edited July 12, 2008 by Auxin Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lachy Posted July 12, 2008 I haven't heard of any specific cactus fruit toxicity... to be honest, I suspect that the spines and glochids that are on the outside of the cacti fruit are the bigger risk. Speaking from personal experience, opuntia glochids embedded in lips is really quite an inconvenience. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sharxx101 Posted August 21, 2008 (edited) I have eaten may different cacti fruit on many different occasions and never got sick. I have one cactus that fruits all year round and are small fruit that look the same as loph's fruit they are a little bitter but are suppose to have lots of vitamin C, well thats what I was told any way. I aslo eat prickly pear and dragon fruit and the apple cactus fruit they are all really nice. I know that all of these fruits are fine to consume and are expensive to buy. There are some web site that state all the cacti that are fruit bearers that are know to be ok for consumption. Edited August 21, 2008 by sharxx101 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Auxin Posted August 21, 2008 One of the better lists I've found sofar is here: [1] In post 8 the apparent expert concedes that 'all' species bear edible fruit and the thread lists many palatable species (note for teotz- Echinocereus engelmannii, often quotes as one of the best strawberry cacti, is only hardy to 14°F and so likely would be impossible to grow in the ground for either of us.. in pots perhaps, they would just need to spend a month or so indoors perhaps less. E. fendleri should be just fine if the roots stay dry in winter- hardy to -4°F and grown in unheated greenhouses in denmark, mesa is out of E. fendleri at the moment.. heres some data from the danes [2]) Heres a second source that says all species have edible fruit [3] It sounds like the biggest danger when eating them in the desert would be dehydration caused by the more laxative species of fruits. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Evil Genius Posted August 21, 2008 (edited) Hi Auxin! I have a book about cactus berries and allegedly none of them are toxic! Its a cheesy indian healing practitioner book but i suppose that they are right. Edited August 21, 2008 by Evil Genius Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zelly Posted August 21, 2008 I had a variegated Euphorbia ammak fruit this year, with fruits about the size of cherries. Don't think you'd want to be munching on those... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Auxin Posted August 21, 2008 Thats a good point, it could be that peoples speech on edibility of cacti fruits is cautious because not everyone knows how to tell a cactus from other succulents.. and in some cases even if they do the determination is difficult Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
