Schlumbergera microsphaerica
Encyclopedia
Schlumbergera microsphaerica is a species of plant
in the Cactaceae family. It is endemic to a limited area of the coastal mountains of south-eastern Brazil
where its natural habitat
is rocky areas above 2600 m (8,530.2 ft). It is threatened by habitat loss. It is in the same genus
as the popular house plant known as Christmas Cactus or Thanksgiving Cactus
.
Schlumbergera
in that it has leafless green stems, made up of distinct segments, which act as photosynthetic
organs. However, most other species have strongly flattened stems, whereas S. microsphaerica has branching stems made up of narrow, more or less cylinder-shaped segments, each 1.5 – long by 2 – in diameter.
Special structures characteristic of cacti, called "areole
s", occur in a roughly spiral fashion over the stems. The areoles, which may have bristles, are where the flower buds appear. The flowers usually hang down and are more or less regular (radially symmetical or actinomorphic). They are described as "fuchsia red" to white in colour and are about 1.5 cm (0.590551181102362 in) long. In cultivation in the Northern Hemisphere, plants flower in the spring – March to April.
The fruit is green, with up to five not very prominent ribs. The brown seeds have a diameter of about 1 mm (0.0393700787401575 in).
Like the taxonomy of the genus (see Schlumbergera: Taxonomy), the taxonomy of Schlumbergera microsphaerica is complicated. The first person to name the species was Schumann
in an 1890 paper in which he described three species: Cereus microsphaericus, C. obtusangulus and C. parvulus. However, he seems to have decided afterwards that the three species were not distinct, and in a monograph published later, which included an illustration, used only the name C. obtusangulus, although he did not actually say that the three species were the same. On this basis, some authors used C. obtusangulus as the basionym
("base name") when they later transferred the species to Epiphyllanthus (Berger
in 1905), Zygocactus (Löfgren
in 1918), Epiphyllum (Lindberg in 1926) and Schlumbergera (David Hunt in 1969). Other authors chose C. microsphaericus as the basionym, since this was the first name in the original paper, when they transferred the species to Epiphyllanthus (Britton
& Rose
in 1923), Arthrocereus (Berger
in 1929) and Schlumbergera (Otto Hövel in 1970).
A further complication is that the original material on which Schumann had originally based his species was lost, so that whether C. microsphaericus and C. obtusangulus were in fact the same species or not cannot now be investigated. In 1991, Taylor formally united the two possible names by designating an illustration of what was at the time called Zygocactus obtusangulus (K.Schum.) Löfgren – the right hand drawing in the plate shown in the taxobox – as the neotype of C. microsphaericus (i.e. this illustration became the substitute for the missing specimen on which Schumann had based the name). Under the rules of botanical nomenclature
, this means that microsphaericus rather than obtusangulus became the correct specific epithet.
Thus the synonyms of Schlumbergera microsphaerica (K.Schum.) Hoevel include:
, in the states of Rio de Janeiro
, Minas Gerais
and Espírito Santo
, located in the southernmost part of the tropics. Sites where it has been found include Pico das Agulhas Negras
in the Itatiaia National Park
and the Pico do Cristal and the Pico da Bandeira
in the Serra do Caparaó
. Plants grow at altitudes of 2600 –. Because of their altitude and proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, the coastal mountains have high humidity – warm moist air is forced upwards into higher, colder locations where it condenses. S. microsphaerica usually grows on rocks (epilithic
) or on trees (epiphytic
).
It is listed as threatened by loss of habitat in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, but placed in the category of "data deficient", meaing that there is insufficient information to determine its status further. Most plants are now in areas which are legally protected.
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
in the Cactaceae family. It is endemic to a limited area of the coastal mountains of south-eastern 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...
where its natural habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
is rocky areas above 2600 m (8,530.2 ft). It is threatened by habitat loss. It is in the same 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...
as the popular house plant known as Christmas Cactus or Thanksgiving Cactus
Schlumbergera
Schlumbergera is a genus of cactus from the coastal mountains of south-eastern Brazil. Plants grow on trees or rocks in habitats which are generally shady with high humidity and can be quite different in appearance from their desert-dwelling cousins...
.
Description
Schlumbergera microsphaerica resembles other species of the genusGenus
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...
Schlumbergera
Schlumbergera
Schlumbergera is a genus of cactus from the coastal mountains of south-eastern Brazil. Plants grow on trees or rocks in habitats which are generally shady with high humidity and can be quite different in appearance from their desert-dwelling cousins...
in that it has leafless green stems, made up of distinct segments, which act as photosynthetic
Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis is a chemical process that converts carbon dioxide into organic compounds, especially sugars, using the energy from sunlight. Photosynthesis occurs in plants, algae, and many species of bacteria, but not in archaea. Photosynthetic organisms are called photoautotrophs, since they can...
organs. However, most other species have strongly flattened stems, whereas S. microsphaerica has branching stems made up of narrow, more or less cylinder-shaped segments, each 1.5 – long by 2 – in diameter.
Special structures characteristic of cacti, called "areole
Areole
Areoles are an important diagnostic feature of cacti, and identify them as a family distinct from other succulent plants. The areoles on cacti are clearly visible; they generally appear as small light- to dark-colored bumps, out of which grow clusters of spines...
s", occur in a roughly spiral fashion over the stems. The areoles, which may have bristles, are where the flower buds appear. The flowers usually hang down and are more or less regular (radially symmetical or actinomorphic). They are described as "fuchsia red" to white in colour and are about 1.5 cm (0.590551181102362 in) long. In cultivation in the Northern Hemisphere, plants flower in the spring – March to April.
The fruit is green, with up to five not very prominent ribs. The brown seeds have a diameter of about 1 mm (0.0393700787401575 in).
Taxonomy
The epithet microsphaerica is derived from the Greek mikros meaning small and sphairikos meaning spherical. The stem segments of the species are shaped like small cylinders or spheres.Like the taxonomy of the genus (see Schlumbergera: Taxonomy), the taxonomy of Schlumbergera microsphaerica is complicated. The first person to name the species was Schumann
Karl Moritz Schumann
Karl Moritz Schumann was a German botanist.Dr. Schumann was the curator of the Botanisches Museumin Berlin-Dahlem from 1880 until 1894...
in an 1890 paper in which he described three species: Cereus microsphaericus, C. obtusangulus and C. parvulus. However, he seems to have decided afterwards that the three species were not distinct, and in a monograph published later, which included an illustration, used only the name C. obtusangulus, although he did not actually say that the three species were the same. On this basis, some authors used C. obtusangulus as the basionym
Basionym
Basionym is a term used in botany, regulated by the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature...
("base name") when they later transferred the species to Epiphyllanthus (Berger
Alwin Berger
Alwin Berger was a German botanist best known for his contribution to the nomenclature of succulent plants, particularly agaves and cacti. Born in Germany he worked at the botanical gardens in Dresden and Frankfurt...
in 1905), Zygocactus (Löfgren
Johan Albert Constantin Löfgren
Johan Albert Constantin Löfgren , known as Albert Löfgren or Alberto Löfgren, was head of the botany department of the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden around 1905. The plant currently known as Schlumbergera opuntioides is one of those he first named.-References:...
in 1918), Epiphyllum (Lindberg in 1926) and Schlumbergera (David Hunt in 1969). Other authors chose C. microsphaericus as the basionym, since this was the first name in the original paper, when they transferred the species to Epiphyllanthus (Britton
Nathaniel Lord Britton
Nathaniel Lord Britton was an American botanist and taxonomist who founded the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, New York. Britton was born in New Dorp in Staten Island, New York...
& Rose
Joseph Nelson Rose
Joseph Nelson Rose was an American botanist. He was born in Union County, Indiana. His father died serving during the Civil War when Joseph Rose was a young boy. He later graduated from high school in Liberty, Indiana....
in 1923), Arthrocereus (Berger
Alwin Berger
Alwin Berger was a German botanist best known for his contribution to the nomenclature of succulent plants, particularly agaves and cacti. Born in Germany he worked at the botanical gardens in Dresden and Frankfurt...
in 1929) and Schlumbergera (Otto Hövel in 1970).
A further complication is that the original material on which Schumann had originally based his species was lost, so that whether C. microsphaericus and C. obtusangulus were in fact the same species or not cannot now be investigated. In 1991, Taylor formally united the two possible names by designating an illustration of what was at the time called Zygocactus obtusangulus (K.Schum.) Löfgren – the right hand drawing in the plate shown in the taxobox – as the neotype of C. microsphaericus (i.e. this illustration became the substitute for the missing specimen on which Schumann had based the name). Under the rules of botanical nomenclature
International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants
The International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants is the set of rules and recommendations dealing with the formal botanical names that are given to plants, fungi and a few other groups of organisms, all those "traditionally treated as plants"., Preamble, para...
, this means that microsphaericus rather than obtusangulus became the correct specific epithet.
Thus the synonyms of Schlumbergera microsphaerica (K.Schum.) Hoevel include:
- Epiphyllanthus obtusangulus (K.Schum.) A.Berger
- Zygocactus obtusangulus (K.Schum.) Loefgr.
- Epiphyllum obtusangulum (K.Schum.) Lindberg ex Vaupel
- Schlumbergera obtusangula (K.Schum.) D.R.Hunt
- Epiphyllanthus microsphaericus (K.Schum.) Britton & Rose
- Arthrocereus microsphaericus (K.Schum.) A.Berger
Subspecies
In 1918, Löfgren described a white-flowered species of what is now Schlumbergera under the name Zygocactus candidus. David Hunt does not consider this to be a distinct species from S. microsphaerica, treating it as S. microsphaerica subsp. candida (Loefgr.) D.R.Hunt.Distribution and habitat
S. microsphaerica occurs only in a small region of the coastal mountains of south-east BrazilBrazil
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...
, in the states of Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro (state)
Rio de Janeiro is one of the 27 states of Brazil.Rio de Janeiro has the second largest economy of Brazil behind only São Paulo state.The state of Rio de Janeiro is located within the Brazilian geopolitical region classified as the Southeast...
, Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, of which it is the second most populous, the third richest, and the fourth largest in area. Minas Gerais is the Brazilian state with the largest number of Presidents of Brazil, the current one, Dilma Rousseff, being one of them. The capital is the...
and Espírito Santo
Espírito Santo
Espírito Santo is one of the states of southeastern Brazil, often referred to by the abbreviation "ES". Its capital is Vitória and the largest city is Vila Velha. The name of the state means literally "holy spirit" after the Holy Ghost of Christianity...
, located in the southernmost part of the tropics. Sites where it has been found include Pico das Agulhas Negras
Pico das Agulhas Negras
Pico das Agulhas Negras is the fifth highest mountain in Brazil, standing at above sea level, making it one of the highest in the Brazilian Highlands...
in the Itatiaia National Park
Itatiaia National Park
Itatiaia National Park , established in 1937, is the oldest national park in Brazil. It is located on the border between Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais states, between 22º16’ - 22º28’ S and 44º34’ - 44º42’ W....
and the Pico do Cristal and the Pico da Bandeira
Pico da Bandeira
Pico da Bandeira is the third highest mountain in Brazil, situated near the border of Espírito Santo and Minas Gerais. It is the highest point in both states as well. It was historically considered the highest mountain in Brazil until the 1950s, when the Pico da Neblina was explored and measured...
in the Serra do Caparaó
Caparaó National Park
Caparaó National Park is a park located on the border between Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo states in Brazil. Pico da Bandeira, one of the highest mountains in Brazil, is located there. Its coordinates are 20º19’—20º 37’ S and 41º43’—41º53’ W....
. Plants grow at altitudes of 2600 –. Because of their altitude and proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, the coastal mountains have high humidity – warm moist air is forced upwards into higher, colder locations where it condenses. S. microsphaerica usually grows on rocks (epilithic
Lithophyte
Lithophytes are a type of plant that grows in or on rocks. Lithophytes feed off moss, nutrients in rain water, litter, and even their own dead tissue....
) or on trees (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...
).
It is listed as threatened by loss of habitat in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, but placed in the category of "data deficient", meaing that there is insufficient information to determine its status further. Most plants are now in areas which are legally protected.