Stems straight or zig-zag. Spines 1-12 per areole. Flowers from areoles of new growth, fragrant or not; outer tepals often greenish, colored near margins; inner tepals white, yellow, orange-red, red, pink to purplish; stamens 50-100 in small-flowered species, to 300 in large-flowered species; filaments colorless near base, in some species pigmented distally, color either matching inner tepals or contrasting with them; styles shorter to longer than stamens; stigma lobes 3-20. x = 11.
Whether the populations of Pereskia in the flora area are reproducing sexually or maintaining themselves solely by vegetative means remains unclear. The population biology of both species and their long-term persistence in the flora need to be monitored.
