Rhipsalis

Rhipsalis is a genus of epiphytic flowering plants in the cactus family, typically known as mistletoe cacti. They are found in parts of Central America, the Caribbean and northern regions of South America. They also inhabit isolated locations in Africa and Asia, and are the only cactus group naturally occurring in the Old World. This is the largest and most widely distributed genus of epiphytic cacti[1] (those which live on other plants without damaging them).

For the algae, see Halimeda. "Mistletoe cactus" redirects here. This may also mean specifically Rhipsalis baccifera or generally other Rhipsalideae; it is not to be confused with Cactus mistletoe.

Rhipsalis
Flowering Rhipsalis cereuscula
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Cactaceae
Subfamily: Cactoideae
Tribe: Rhipsalideae
Genus: Rhipsalis
Gaertn.
Species

Numerous, see text

Synonyms

The scientific name Rhipsalis derives from the Ancient Greek term for wickerwork,[2][3] referring to the plants' morphology.

History

The genus was described by Joseph Gaertner in 1788.[4] But when he described the plant, he had in fact not realised it was a cactus. Instead, he assumed he had found a new species of Cassytha,[Note 1] a parasitic laurel from a completely different plant family.

Ecology and distribution

Rhipsalis is found as pendulous epiphyte in tropical rainforests, some species may also grow epilithic or, rarely, terrestrial.[5][6][7] The genus is found widely in Central America, parts of the Caribbean and a great part of northern and central South America.[2] The center of diversity of Rhipsalis lies in the rainforests of the Mata Atlantica in southeastern Brazil.[6] It is found throughout the New World, and additionally in tropical Africa, Madagascar and Sri Lanka.[8][7] It is the only cactus with a natural occurrence outside the New World.[9]

Rhipsalis pilocarpa fruit

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 baccifera, 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 has stems and fruits densely covered by bristes, making this species easily distinguishable from all other Rhipsalis. The flowers are borne lateral or apical and are actinomorphic with a varying number of perianth 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. Vivipary has been observed in R. micrantha and R. baccifera.[10]

Species

Based on taxonomic treatment in The New Cactus Lexicon,[11] 35 species divided into five subgenera (Phyllarthrorhipsalis, Rhipsalis, Epallagogonium, Calamorhipsalis, Erythrorhipsalis) are recognised.

Subgenus Image Scientific name Distribution
Calamorhipsalis Rhipsalis dissimilis K.Schum. Brazil (Parana, São Paulo)
Rhipsalis floccosa Salm-Dyck ex Pfeiff. Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Peru, Venezuela
Rhipsalis hoelleri Barthlott & N.P.Taylor Brazil(Espirito Santo)
Rhipsalis neves-armondii K.Schum. Brazil (Parana, Rio de Janeiro, Santa Catarina, São Paulo)
Rhipsalis pacheco-leonis Loefgr. Brazil (Rio de Janeiro)
Rhipsalis paradoxa Salm-Dyck Brazil( Bahia, Espirito Santo, Minas Gerais, Parana, Rio de Janeiro, Santa Catarina, São Paulo)
Rhipsalis puniceodiscus G.Lindb. Brazil (Parana, Rio de Janeiro, Santa Catarina, São Paulo)
Rhipsalis trigona Pfeiff. Brazil (Parana, Santa Catarina, São Paulo)
Erythrorhipsalis Rhipsalis aurea M.F.Freitas & J.M.A.Braga Brazil (Rio de ]aneiro)
Rhipsalis burchellii Britton & Rose Brazil
Rhipsalis campos-portoana Loefgr. Brazil
Rhipsalis clavata F.A.C.Weber Brazil (Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo)
Rhipsalis cereuscula Haw. Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay
Rhipsalis juengeri Barthlott & N.P.Taylor Brazil (São Paulo)
Rhipsalis ormindoi N.P.Taylor & Zappi Brazil (Rio de Janeiro)
Rhipsalis pilocarpa Loefgr. Brazil (Espirito Santo, Minas Gerais, Parana, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo)
Rhipsalis pulchra Loefgr. Brazil (Minas Gerais, Parana, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo)
Erythrorhipsalis Rhipsalis agudoensis N.P. Taylor Brazil (Rio Grande do Sul )
Rhipsalis baccifera (J.S.Muell.) Stearn Madagascar, Seychelles, Mauritius, Reunion, Sri Lanka
Rhipsalis cereoides Backeb. & Voll Brazil
Rhipsalis crispata Pfeiff. Brazil (Pernambuco, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo)
Rhipsalis crispimarginata Loefgr. Brazil (Rio de Janeiro, Northern São Paulo )
Rhipsalis cuneata Britton & Rose Bolivia
Rhipsalis elliptica G.Lindb. ex K.Schum. Brazil(Minas Gerais, Parana, Santa Catarina, São Paulo)
Rhipsalis ewaldiana Barthlott & N.P. Taylor Brazil (Rio de Janeiro)
Rhipsalis goebeliana Backeb. Bolivia
Rhipsalis grandiflora Haw. Brazil ( Parana, Rio de Janeiro, Santa Catarina, São Paulo)
Rhipsalis hileiabaiana (Taylor & Barthlott) Koro & Barthlott
Rhipsalis lindbergiana K.Schum. Brazil (Bahia, Espirito Santo, Minas Gerais, Pernambuco, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Sergipe)
Rhipsalis mesembryanthemoides Haw. Brazil (Rio de Janeiro)
Rhipsalis micrantha Kunth Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
Rhipsalis oblonga Loefgr. Brazil (Bahia, Espirito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo )
Rhipsalis olivifera N.P.Taylor & Zappi Brazil (Rio de Janeiro)
Rhipsalis occidentalis Barthlott & Rauh Ecuador, Peru, Suriname
Rhipsalis pachyptera Pfeiff. Brazil (Parana, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, São Paulo )
Rhipsalis pentaptera Pfeiff. Brazil (Rio de Janeiro)
Rhipsalis russellii Britton & Rose Brazil (Bahia, Espirito Santo, Minas Gerais)
Rhipsalis sulcata F.A.C. Weber Brazil (Espirito Santo)
Rhipsalis teres Steud. Brazil
Rhipsalis triangularis Werderm. Brazil ( Rio de Janeiro)

Recent molecular studies[7] showed paraphyly of three subgenera as previously circumscribed (Rhipsalis, Calamorhipsalis and Epallagogonium). So a new subgeneric classification of Rhipsalis with only monophyletic subgenera Rhipsalis, Calamorhipsalis and Erythrorhipsalis is proposed.[1]

Notes
  1. The original spelling in publication is cassutha, but this is presumably a typographical error.
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References
  1. Calvente, A. (2012), "A New Subgeneric Classification of Rhipsalis (Cactoideae, Cactaceae)", Systematic Botany, 37 (4): 983–988, doi:10.1600/036364412X656455
  2. Anderson (2001), p. 612
  3. "Rhipsalis". Oxford Dictionaries UK Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 2019-01-10.
  4. Gaertner, Joseph (1788), "Rhipsalis", Fruct. Sem. Pl., i: 137, doi:10.5962/bhl.title.53838
  5. Anderson (2001), pp. 22–24
  6. Korotkova, Nadja (2011), Phylogeny and evolution of the epiphytic Rhipsalideae (Cactaceae) (PDF) (PhD thesis), Bonn
  7. Calvente, A.; Zappi, D.C.; Forest, F.; Lohmann, L.G. (2011), "Molecular Phylogeny, Evolution, and Biogeography of South American Epiphytic Cacti", International Journal of Plant Sciences, 172 (7): 902–914, doi:10.1086/660881
  8. Barthlott, Wilhelm (1983), "Biogeography and Evolution in Neo- and Paleotropical Rhipsalinae (Cactaceae)" (PDF), Sonderb. Naturwiss. Vereins Hamburg, 7: 241–248
  9. Anderson (2001), p. 18
  10. Cota-Sánchez, J. Hugo (2004), "Vivipary in the Cactaceae: Its taxonomic occurrence and biological significance", Flora, 199 (6): 481–490, doi:10.1078/0367-2530-00175
  11. Hunt (2006), pp. 253–257

Literature
  • Anderson, Edward F. (2001), The Cactus Family, Portland, Oregon: Timber Press, ISBN 0-88192-498-9
  • Hunt, D.R., ed. (2006), The New Cactus Lexicon Text, Milborne Port: dh books, ISBN 0-9538134-5-2
  • Barthlott, W.; Taylor, N.P. (1995), "Notes towards a Monograph of Rhipsalideae (Cactaceae)", Bradleya, 13: 43–79, doi:10.25223/brad.n13.1995.a7
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