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(Redirected from Mistletoe cactus)
- 'Mistletoe cactus' redirects here. This may also mean specifically Rhipsalis baccifera, or, more generally, other Rhipsalideae.
- 'Cactus mistletoe' is Tristerix aphylla, a PatagonianArgentinean and Chilean species of mistletoe, whose preferred hosts are two species of cactus.
Rhipsalis | |
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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 | |
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The 'Text' volume, now being updated for a second edition, is a concise compendium of information on cactus genera, species and subspecies accepted in the standard literature on cacti, including references to places of publication, principal synonyms, geographical distribution, diagnostic features and brief commentary.
Rhipsalis is a genus of 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. Additionally they 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).
The scientific nameRhipsalis derives from the Ancient Greek term for wickerwork,[2][3] referring to the plants' morphology.
History[edit]
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[edit]
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.[8] 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.[9][7] It is the only cactus with a natural occurrence outside the New World.[10]
Rhipsalis pilocarpa fruit
Morphology[edit]
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.[11]
Species[edit]
Based on taxonomic treatment in The New Cactus Lexicon[12], 35 species divided into five subgenera (Phyllarthrorhipsalis, Rhipsalis, Epallagogonium, Calamorhipsalis, Erythrorhipsalis) are recognised.
Subgenus | Image | Scientific name | Distribution |
---|---|---|---|
Calamorhipsalis | Rhipsalis dissimilisK.Schum. | Brazil (Parana, São Paulo) | |
Rhipsalis floccosaSalm-Dyck ex Pfeiff. | Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Peru, Venezuela | ||
Rhipsalis hoelleriBarthlott & N.P.Taylor | Brazil(Espirito Santo) | ||
Rhipsalis neves-armondiiK.Schum. | Brazil (Parana, Rio de Janeiro, Santa Catarina, São Paulo) | ||
Rhipsalis pacheco-leonisLoefgr. | Brazil (Rio de Janeiro) | ||
Rhipsalis paradoxaSalm-Dyck | Brazil( Bahia, Espirito Santo, Minas Gerais, Parana, Rio de Janeiro, Santa Catarina, São Paulo) | ||
Rhipsalis puniceodiscusG.Lindb. | Brazil (Parana, Rio de Janeiro, Santa Catarina, São Paulo) | ||
Rhipsalis trigonaPfeiff. | Brazil (Parana, Santa Catarina, São Paulo) | ||
Erythrorhipsalis | Rhipsalis aureaM.F.Freitas & J.M.A.Braga | Brazil (Rio de ]aneiro) | |
Rhipsalis burchelliiBritton & Rose | Brazil | ||
Rhipsalis campos-portoanaLoefgr. | Brazil | ||
Rhipsalis clavataF.A.C.Weber | Brazil (Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo) | ||
Rhipsalis cereusculaHaw. | Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay | ||
Rhipsalis juengeriBarthlott & N.P.Taylor | Brazil (São Paulo) | ||
Rhipsalis ormindoiN.P.Taylor & Zappi | Brazil (Rio de Janeiro) | ||
Rhipsalis pilocarpaLoefgr. | Brazil (Espirito Santo, Minas Gerais, Parana, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo) | ||
Rhipsalis pulchraLoefgr. | Brazil (Minas Gerais, Parana, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo) | ||
Erythrorhipsalis | Rhipsalis agudoensisN.P. Taylor | Brazil (Rio Grande do Sul ) | |
Rhipsalis baccifera(J.S.Muell.) Stearn | Madagascar, Seychelles, Mauritius, Reunion, Sri Lanka | ||
Rhipsalis cereoidesBackeb. & Voll | Brazil | ||
Rhipsalis crispataPfeiff. | Brazil (Pernambuco, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo) | ||
Rhipsalis crispimarginataLoefgr. | Brazil (Rio de Janeiro, Northern São Paulo ) | ||
Rhipsalis cuneataBritton & Rose | Bolivia | ||
Rhipsalis ellipticaG.Lindb. ex K.Schum. | Brazil(Minas Gerais, Parana, Santa Catarina, São Paulo) | ||
Rhipsalis ewaldianaBarthlott & N.P. Taylor | Brazil (Rio de Janeiro) | ||
Rhipsalis goebelianaBackeb. | Bolivia | ||
Rhipsalis grandifloraHaw. | Brazil ( Parana, Rio de Janeiro, Santa Catarina, São Paulo) | ||
Rhipsalis hileiabaiana(Taylor & Barthlott) Koro & Barthlott | |||
Rhipsalis lindbergianaK.Schum. | Brazil (Bahia, Espirito Santo, Minas Gerais, Pernambuco, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Sergipe) | ||
Rhipsalis mesembryanthemoidesHaw. | Brazil (Rio de Janeiro) | ||
Rhipsalis micranthaKunth | Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela | ||
Rhipsalis oblongaLoefgr. | Brazil (Bahia, Espirito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo ) | ||
Rhipsalis oliviferaN.P.Taylor & Zappi | Brazil (Rio de Janeiro) | ||
Rhipsalis occidentalisBarthlott & Rauh | Ecuador, Peru, Suriname | ||
Rhipsalis pachypteraPfeiff. | Brazil (Parana, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, São Paulo ) | ||
Rhipsalis pentapteraPfeiff. | Brazil (Rio de Janeiro) | ||
Rhipsalis russelliiBritton & Rose | Brazil (Bahia, Espirito Santo, Minas Gerais) | ||
Rhipsalis sulcataF.A.C. Weber | Brazil (Espirito Santo) | ||
Rhipsalis teresSteud. | Brazil | ||
Rhipsalis triangularisWerderm. | 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[edit]
- ^The original spelling in publication is cassutha, but this is presumably a typographical error.
References[edit]
- ^ abCalvente, A. (2012), 'A New Subgeneric Classification of Rhipsalis (Cactoideae, Cactaceae)', Systematic Botany, 37 (4): 983–988, doi:10.1600/036364412X656455
- ^Anderson (2001), p. 612
- ^'Rhipsalis'. Oxford Dictionaries. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 2019-01-10.
- ^Gaertner, Joseph (1788), 'Rhipsalis', Fruct. Sem. Pl., i: 137, doi:10.5962/bhl.title.53838
- ^Anderson (2001), pp. 22–24
- ^ abKorotkova, Nadja (2011), Phylogeny and evolution of the epiphytic Rhipsalideae (Cactaceae)(PDF) (PhD thesis), Bonn
- ^ abcCalvente, 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
- ^Anderson (2001), p. 612
- ^Barthlott, Wilhelm (1983), 'Biogeography and Evolution in Neo- and Paleotropical Rhipsalinae (Cactaceae)'(PDF), Sonderb. Naturwiss. Vereins Hamburg, 7: 241–248
- ^Anderson (2001), p. 18
- ^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
- ^Hunt (2006), pp. 253–257
Literature[edit]
- Anderson, Edward F. (2001), The Cactus Family, Portland, Oregon: Timber Press, ISBN0-88192-498-9
- Hunt, D.R., ed. (2006), The New Cactus Lexicon Text, Milborne Port: dh books, ISBN0-9538134-5-2
- 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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