Vivipary in Cuban cacti: A pioneer study in Leptocereus scopulophilus

Vivipary is a relatively unusual trait in the angiosperms, documented in nearly 195 species of 78 vascular plant families, including 53 cactus species. In this paper we report the occurrence of vivipary in four Cuban cactus species (Leptocereus arboreus, L. scopulophilus, Harrisia eriophora and Selenicereus grandiflorus). For L. scopulophilus, we determined the frequency of vivipary and compared fruit traits in viviparous and non-viviparous fruits. We found that 18.9% of L. scopulophilus individuals had viviparous fruits. None of the fruit traits compared between viviparous and non-viviparous fruits differed significantly, although the pericarp is slightly thicker in viviparous fruits.