The aboriginal prickly-apple, Harrisia aboriginum, is a cactus first described by John Kunkel Small in 1920 from a sample he discovered on Terra Ceia Island in northern Manatee County. Historically, it grew on shell mounds, coastal berms, and coastal hammocks, ranging along nearly 80 miles of the Gulf coast from Terra Ceia to Buck Key, just north of Sanibel Island. The shell mounds created by American Indians were among the first areas settled by Florida's early pioneers because their high, dry land provided protection from flooding and a broad view of the area. As settlers developed the land, the aboriginal prickly-apple's habitat disappeared. Manatee County land managers worked with Marie Selby Botanical Gardens to grow and transplant this endangered and protected cactus into suitable habitats, including secluded and protected sites at Emerson Point Preserve. The species faces threats from development, poaching, and invasive iguanas that feed on the flowers, but efforts continue in hope of reestablishing local populations for future generations of visitors and wildlife.