Seven Star Plant

Overview

Rose cactus is native to Brazil, Paraguay and lowland of the Andes in northwestern Uruguay region. Unlike most cacti, it has persistent leaves. It is widely cultivated elsewhere around the world. It is ideal to be used as flowering hedges, flower bed or borders at public parks and gardens. Leaves can be consumed raw as a side dish of salad. Fresh leaves also can be made into a concoction brewed and drink as tea.

Vernacular Names

Poko jarum tujuh bilah (Malaysia), Cujuchi (Spanish), Seven star needle/Tree cancer (English).

Agroecology

R. sacharosa requires full sun for optimum growth and flowering. It does not well in partial shade. It needs watering regularly but do not overwater. Leaves drop easily during drought. It prefers humus-enriched, loamy and well-drained soils. It does not tolerate acidic soil.

Morphology

• Stems – thin woody and relatively non-succulent stem,  heavily armed with dense clusters of black and needle-like spines.
• Leaves – alternate, photosynthetic and succulent, large, petiolate and bright green leaves, 2-20 cm long, elliptic leaves with wavy leaf margin.
• Flowers - about 10 obovate to oval orange-red petals that are arranged in almost the same manner as seen in roses, bisexual, solitary or sometimes in inflorescences of 2-15 flowers, 2-8 cm in diameter, rose, purplish-pink, red or orange.
• Fruits - fleshy and funnel-shaped, measuring 2-7 or up to 10 cm long that ripen into a yellow or bright orange colour.
• Seeds - small, 2-7 mm, glossy black and disc-shaped seeds.

Cultivation

Propagated as ornamental by seeds and stem cuttings. The cuttings should be planted immediately without a dry out period.

Chemical Constituents

Leaves contents are alkaloids, phenolics, flavonoids, glikosida, steroids, tannin, and saponin.

Traditional Medicinal Uses

Medicinal Uses

• Leaves are used to treat skin disorder, hypertension, gastric disease and cancer.
• Spines -muscle pain.

Traditional Uses

• It is traditionally used as a dietary vegetable for maintaining health, detoxification, prevention of cancer, and/or treatment of cancer, hypertension, diabetes, stomachache, muscle pain, and inflammatory diseases such as dermatitis and rheumatism.
• Ornamental plant in pot, flowering hedge, flower bed or borders.