The leaves and fruits are edible, containing high quantities of protein, iron and other nutrients, and it is a popular vegetable in parts of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais under the name of ora-pro-nóbis.

[4] South America, including French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela, Brazil, Colombia, Argentina and Paraguay.

[5] A flea-beetle (Phenrica guerini), a leaf-mining moth (Epipagis cambogialis), and a stem-wilter, (Catorhintha schaffneri), feed on the leaves.

[5] Although Pereskia aculeata is edible and of high nutrition quality, being an alternative to conventional food, this plant is a declared weed in South Africa where it does extensive damage to forest areas by smothering indigenous trees.

The flea-beetle has caused significant damage to Pereskia plants at Port Alfred, Eastern Cape, South Africa, and was also released widely in KwaZulu-Natal, but has not become established there.