On the day when I first chatted with the cat auntie, she pointed out a short shrub on the grass patch alongside the pavement. She said this was planted by her neighboor and it had many medical properties, even anti-cancerous ones!
The Rose Cactus, Pereskia bleo is its name, from the family cactus. Yup, although it doesn't look like one but it is a cactus. According to wiki, this genus is the only one having persistant non-succulent leaves.
Thorns extending out. You can noticed many leaf scars here, as many neighbors had pluck them out for consumption, according to cat auntie. The leaves can be eaten raw or taken as a concoction brewed from dried plant. It was also believed to have anti-tumour, anti-rheumatic, anti-ulcer and anti-inflammatory activities. A study conducted showed that it may contain bioactive compound(s) to induce cell death of cancerous cells.
Updated 17 march~
Yeaaa! Finally saw a blooming flower of the cactus. My daily visits are not wasted :) Isnt it beautiful?
Updated 18 Mar~
Heres the fruit of the rose cactus. Kindly given by Samson, or aka Mantamola :) The flower is beautiful while the fruit looks cute ;p Mmm, seems like this plant is more common then I thought. Saw it again as a potted plant near NUS just now. But well, even the experts have to be sua ku some time before becoming who they are :)
Ty for Joe lai for the ID.
Ref: Methanolic extract of Pereskia bleo (Kunth) DC. (Cactaceae) induces apoptosis in breast carcinoma, T47-D cell line. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 96 (2005) 287–294
7 comments:
nice..shall see for myself if i got the chance..
woh~~ that's really pretty~~
send you some photo of the fruit....since you only seen the flower :-)
thanks! looks pretty cute too. For some reason the flowers disappear after one day (Maybe some neighbors pluck it off), so no fruits as yet.
Is there any medicinal value in the fruit and is it edible? Does the leave taste bitter?
Mmm, I tried surfing for it but no info on the fruit, whether it is edible and has any medicinal value. All I found is that most the fruits of this genus is edible. I haben tasted the leaves yet so I cant answer the latter question too ;p apologizes
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