Rhipsalis
Encyclopedia
- "Mistletoe cactus" redirects here. This may also mean specifically Rhipsalis bacciferaRhipsalis bacciferaRhipsalis baccifera, commonly known as the Mistletoe Cactus, is an epiphytic cactus which originates from Central and South America, the Caribbean and Florida. It is also spread throughout the tropics of Africa and Asia. This is the only cactus species naturally occurring outside the New World,...
, or, more generally, other RhipsalideaeRhipsalideaeThe Rhipsalideae are a small tribe of cacti, comprising four genera. They grow on trees or on rocks , where they either hang down or form creeping or upright shrubs. Their flowers open in the day and remain open at night; they may be either radially symmetrical or bilaterally symmetrical...
. - "Cactus mistletoe" is TristerixTristerixTristerix is a genus of mistletoe in the family Loranthaceae, native to the Andes from Colombia to Chile. They are a woody perennial usually occurring as an aerial parasite, often pollinated by hummingbirds...
aphylla, a ChileChileChile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
an species of mistletoeMistletoeMistletoe is the common name for obligate hemi-parasitic plants in several families in the order Santalales. The plants in question grow attached to and within the branches of a tree or shrub.-Mistletoe in the genus Viscum:...
, whose preferred hosts are two species of cactus.
Rhipsalis is a genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of epiphytic
Epiphyte
An epiphyte is a plant that grows upon another plant non-parasitically or sometimes upon some other object , derives its moisture and nutrients from the air and rain and sometimes from debris accumulating around it, and is found in the temperate zone and in the...
cacti
Cactus
A cactus is a member of the plant family Cactaceae. Their distinctive appearance is a result of adaptations to conserve water in dry and/or hot environments. In most species, the stem has evolved to become photosynthetic and succulent, while the leaves have evolved into spines...
. They are typically known as mistletoe cacti. The scientific name derives from the Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
term for wickerwork, referring to the plants' habitus
Morphology (biology)
In biology, morphology is a branch of bioscience dealing with the study of the form and structure of organisms and their specific structural features....
. Rhipsalis is one is part of the tribe Rhipsalideae
Rhipsalideae
The Rhipsalideae are a small tribe of cacti, comprising four genera. They grow on trees or on rocks , where they either hang down or form creeping or upright shrubs. Their flowers open in the day and remain open at night; they may be either radially symmetrical or bilaterally symmetrical...
within the subfamily Cactoideae of the Cactaceae. It is the largest and most widely distributed genus of epiphytic cacti.
The genus was described by Joseph Gaertner in 1788. But when he described the plant, he had in fact not realised it was a cactus. Instead, he assumed to have found a new species of Cassytha
Cassytha
Cassytha L. is a genus of 17 species of parasitic vines in the family Lauraceae, mainly native to Australia, but with a few species in Africa, southern Asia, and one Cassytha L. (1753) is a genus of 17 species of parasitic vines in the family Lauraceae, mainly native to Australia, but with a few...
, a parasitic Lauraceae
Lauraceae
The Lauraceae or Laurel family comprises a group of flowering plants included in the order Laurales. The family contains about 55 genera and over 3500, perhaps as many as 4000, species world-wide, mostly from warm or tropical regions, especially Southeast Asia and South America...
. Hence, Cassytha is often indicated as a generic synonym for Rhipsalis, although this is not the case, since this generic name had been applied for a completely different genus in a different plant family.
Ecology and distribution
Rhipsalis is found as an epiphyteEpiphyte
An epiphyte is a plant that grows upon another plant non-parasitically or sometimes upon some other object , derives its moisture and nutrients from the air and rain and sometimes from debris accumulating around it, and is found in the temperate zone and in the...
in tropical rainforests, some species may also grow epilithic or, rarely, terrestrial. The genus is found widely in Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
, parts of the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
and a great part of northern and central South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
.
The center of diversity of Rhipsalis lies in the rainforests of the Mata Atlantica
Mata Atlântica
The Atlantic Forest is a region of tropical and subtropical moist forest, tropical dry forest, tropical savanna, semi deciduous forest and mangrove forests which extends along the Atlantic coast of Brazil from Rio Grande do Norte state in the north to Rio Grande do Sul state in the south, and...
in southeastern Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. It is found throughout the New World
New World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
, but additionally in tropical Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
. It is the only cactus with a natural occurrence outside the New World.
Morphology
The morphology of Rhipsalis is very variable. The plants can grow mostly pendent, few grow more or less upright or sprawling. There are three main stem shapes: terete, angular and flattened. The stems are succulent, but the degree of succulence varies between the species. Some have very thick stems (e.g. Rhipsalis neves-armondii), whereas other have very thin, filiform stems (e.g. Rhipsalis bacciferaRhipsalis baccifera
Rhipsalis baccifera, commonly known as the Mistletoe Cactus, is an epiphytic cactus which originates from Central and South America, the Caribbean and Florida. It is also spread throughout the tropics of Africa and Asia. This is the only cactus species naturally occurring outside the New World,...
, Rhipsalis clavata). In the majority of species, spines are missing or occur only in the juvenile stage (this is most prominent in Rhipsalis dissimilis). Rhipsalis pilocarpa
Rhipsalis pilocarpa
Rhipsalis pilocarpa is a species of plant in the Cactaceae family. It is endemic to Brazil. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:...
has stems and fruits densely covered by bristes, making this species easily distinguisable from all other Rhipsalis.
The flowers are borne lateral or apical and are actinomorphic with a varying number of perianth
Perianth
The term perianth has two similar but separate meanings in botany:* In flowering plants, the perianth are the outer, sterile whorls of a flower...
segments, stamens and carpels. They are small, usually about 1 cm in diameter, white or whitish in most species. Yellowish flowers occur in R. dissimilis and R. elliptica and R. hoelleri is the only Rhipsalis species with red flowers. The fruits are always berries, they are whitish or coloured pink, red or yellow.
Species
Based on the latest taxonomic treatment in the New Cactus Lexicon (Hunt et al. 2006), 35 species of Rhipsalis are recognised.- Rhipsalis agudoensis N.P. Taylor
- Rhipsalis bacciferaRhipsalis bacciferaRhipsalis baccifera, commonly known as the Mistletoe Cactus, is an epiphytic cactus which originates from Central and South America, the Caribbean and Florida. It is also spread throughout the tropics of Africa and Asia. This is the only cactus species naturally occurring outside the New World,...
(J.S.Muell.) Stearn - Rhipsalis burchellii Britton & Rose
- Rhipsalis campos-portoana Loefgr.
- Rhipsalis cereoidesRhipsalis cereoidesRhipsalis cereoides is a species of plant in the Cactaceae family. It is endemic to Brazil. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and rocky areas. It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:...
Backeb. & Voll - Rhipsalis cereuscula Haw.
- Rhipsalis clavata F.A.C.Weber
- Rhipsalis crispataRhipsalis crispataRhipsalis crispata is a species of plant in the Cactaceae family. It is endemic to Brazil. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:...
Pfeiff. - Rhipsalis cuneata Britton & Rose
- Rhipsalis dissimilis K.Schum.
- Rhipsalis ellipticaRhipsalis ellipticaRhipsalis elliptica is a species of plant in the Cactaceae family. It is endemic to Brazil. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:...
G.Lindb. ex K.Schum. - Rhipsalis ewaldiana Barthlott & N.P. Taylor
- Rhipsalis floccosaRhipsalis floccosaRhipsalis floccosa is a species of plant in the Cactaceae family. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Peru, and Venezuela. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss....
Salm-Dyck ex Pfeiff. - Rhipsalis grandiflora Haw.
- Rhipsalis hoelleriRhipsalis hoelleriRhipsalis hoelleri is a species of plant in the Cactaceae family. It is endemic to Brazil. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:...
Barthlott & N.P.Taylor - Rhipsalis juengeri Barthlott & N.P.Taylor
- Rhipsalis lindbergiana K.Schum.
- Rhipsalis mesembryanthemoides Haw.
- Rhipsalis micrantha Kunth
- Rhipsalis neves-armondii K.Schum.
- Rhipsalis oblongaRhipsalis oblongaRhipsalis oblonga is a species of plant in the Cactaceae family. It is endemic to Brazil. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:...
Loefgr. - Rhipsalis occidentalis Barthlott & Rauh
- Rhipsalis olivifera N.P.Taylor & Zappi
- Rhipsalis ormindoi N.P.Taylor & Zappi
- Rhipsalis pacheco-leonisRhipsalis pacheco-leonisRhipsalis pacheco-leonis is a species of plant in the Cactaceae family. It is endemic to Brazil. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and rocky areas. It is threatened by habitat loss. It needs water and sunlight....
Loefgr. - Rhipsalis pachyptera Pfeiff.
- Rhipsalis paradoxaRhipsalis paradoxaRhipsalis paradoxa is a species of plant in the Cactaceae family. It is endemic to Brazil. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:...
Salm-Dyck - Rhipsalis pentaptera Pfeiff.
- Rhipsalis pilocarpaRhipsalis pilocarpaRhipsalis pilocarpa is a species of plant in the Cactaceae family. It is endemic to Brazil. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:...
Loefgr. - Rhipsalis pulchra Loefgr.
- Rhipsalis puniceodiscus G.Lindb.
- Rhipsalis russelliiRhipsalis russelliiRhipsalis russellii is a species of plant in the Cactaceae family. It is endemic to Brazil. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and rocky areas. It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:...
BrittonBritton-Places:* Britton, Ontario, Canada* Britton, Michigan, U.S.* Britton, South Dakota, U.S.-Surname:* Andrew Britton , British-born American author* Brent Britton , American lawyer...
& RoseRoseA rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers are large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows... - Rhipsalis sulcataRhipsalis sulcataRhipsalis sulcata is a species of plant in the Cactaceae family. It is endemic to Brazil. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and rocky areas. It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:...
F.A.C. Weber - Rhipsalis teres Steud.
- Rhipsalis trigona Pfeiff.
Literature
- E. F. Anderson (2001): The Cactus Family. Timber Press.
- W. Barthlott & N.P. Taylor (1995): Notes towars a Monograph of Rhipsalideae (Cactaceae). Bradleya 13, pp. 43–79.
- W. Barthlott (1983): Biogeography and evolution in neo- and palaeotropical Rhipsalinae (Cactaceae). In: Kubitzki, K. (Ed.) Proc. Int. Symp. Dispersal and Distribution, Sonderbd. naturwiss. Ver. Hamburg 7: 241-248.
- J. Hugo Cota-Sánche [Vivipary in the Cactaceae: Its taxonomic occurrence and biological significance], Flora - Morphology, Distribution, Functional Ecology of Plants ; Volume 199, Issue 6, 2004, Pages 481-490 doi:10.1078/0367-2530-00175
- D. Hunt, N. Taylor, G. Charles (2006): The New Cactus Lexicon. dh books.
- N. P. Taylor, D. Zappi (2004): Cacti of Eastern Brazil. Kew Publishing.