depend for a nerveless advert houseplant to smarten up up your domicile ?
I ’ve got just the matter for you : Rhipsalis , also know as the false mistletoe cactus or coral cactus . These beautiful cactus can grow improbably long staunch that spill over the bound of their planter , making for a fantastically dramatic effect . The genus has a whole caboodle of dissimilar species , so there ’s bound to be a Rhipsalis that ’s right for you .
Keep read to chance out everything you want to jazz about Rhipsalis care and how to raise a mistletoe cactus in your home .
Disclosure : If you shop from my article or make a purchase through one of my links , I may pick up perpetration on some of the product I recommend .
About Rhipsalis
Description
Rhipsalis is a genus of jungle cacti . This peculiar category of cacti does n’t look much like the Hellenic spiky ball or cylinder , but tend to be much thinner . A lot of them ( likeEpiphyllum , particularly the popularfishbone cactus ) actually have leaves , and few have serious spikes .
Rhipsalis is characterized by its hang nature . A battalion of segmented stems ( the exact appearance of which calculate on the metal money ; we ’ll get into that below ) pour forth down and can grow fabulously long . It ’s the pure species for a hanging planter — especially if you expose your plant to a spot of verbatim sunlight , which causes the leaf to take on a adorable reddish to orange stress coloring .
Although this cactus does n’t bloom quite as lavishly as some others in the Cactaceae menage , the abundance of little white to yellowish bloom it produces are still a lovely bonus . There ’s one species with cherry heyday , telephone Rhipsalis hoelleri , a relatively rare form .
Read more : Check out thesecactus varieties that have amazing flowers
After the pollinated flowers on a Rhipsalis have shrivel , little berries will form . These are usually off - ashen , pastel pink , or bright pinkish in colouration .
Did you know?
Rhipsalis berries , like the yield of a bunch of other cacti , are eatable . They ’re gently honeyed , although most folks do n’t really consider the effort of picking them worth it .
Natural habitat
The extremity of the genus Rhipsalis are naturally found in Central America , piece of South America and some of the Caribbean . Here , they grow in ( sub)tropical rainforests in an epiphytic manner ( not unlikeSchlumbergera x buckleyi , Hoya kerrii , orPeperomia obtusifolia ) , using tree as support rather than steady down in the soil .
Combine that with the typical berries and it ’s not surprising the genus received the uncouth name of “ false mistletoe cactus ” !
Related : Did you do it this iswhy we kiss under the mistletoe ?
Interestingly , Rhipsalis metal money have also been ascertain in some body politic in Africa and Asia . This is quite unsual given that cactus do n’t of course exist outside of the Americas !
It has been theorise that maybe the seeds were pass around by migrant birds , although some authors call up that human action is plausibly a more likely culprit . Or maybe some seeds just floated across the ocean , something that does find sometimes ?
Whatever brought them eastward , once they were in , their hardy nature made it wanton for Rhipsalis cacti to install themselves in their new house . Rhipsalis baccifera is the most coarse example of a traveling cactus : It can be find throughout much of the Americas , central to southerly Africa , Madagascar and even Sri Lanka .
regrettably , some Rhipsalis species are ( critically ) endangered in their natural habitat . According to theIUCN , all that ’s left of Rhipsalis mesembryanthemoides are some “ plants growing on trees in public parks , ” as the expanse it grow in has been extensively urbanized .
The same go for R. pentaptera , whose selection in the violent “ look completely on the belongings owners and whether or not they keep the tree diagram on their properties ” .
Rhipsalis varieties
When it comes to Rhipsalis cacti , there are enough assortment to keep you busy take in for a very , very tenacious time . Consider that there are currently 35 recognise metal money spread across three subgenera ( Rhipsalis , Calamorhipsalis , and Erythrorhipsalis ) . Many of these , in turn , have subspecies .
And then there are all the cultivars and hybrid created by nursery through selective cultivation and crossing different specie … you get my heading .
Here ’s a foresightful ( though by no means exhaustive ) list of the types of Rhipsalis found in the houseplant hobby ( some rarer than others ):
As for Rhipsalis cultivars , I ’m not even going to attempt to get into those . There are in all likelihood hundreds , each subtly different from the next . Just take a look at your favourite plant store to see what they ’ve got in stemma !
Where to corrupt Rhipsalis plants :
Some species that used to be categorized in the genus Rhipsalis have since been moved to other genera . One good example is Rhipsalis salicornioides , which was actually placed in Hatiora over 100 years ago but is still often referred to as a Rhipsalis .
Caring for Rhipsalis
Light and temperature
Unlike desert cacti , which naturally tend to grow in field without much in the way of Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree cover and have evolved to sleep together full sun as a solution , Rhipsalis calls the timberland its home .
Here , marvellous tree diagram canopies block out some of the light , mean this genus is a little less demanding when it come to wanton floor in the home base .
Although you should still invest your Rhipsalis next to a window , it does n’t have to be one that gets blasted with lineal sunlight on the daily . vivid collateral light is okay . If you do give it a little more , your plant life might grow red leaf tips , which some cactus grower favor .
The minimum temperature for a Rhipsalis can vary by mintage , so if you ’re planning on growing yours in a cooler touch in winter , be sure to check . In any shell , temporary worker between 50 ° atomic number 9 to 86 ° F should be fine for a mistletoe cactus .
Water and humidity
hobo camp cacti like this one like a little more body of water than their desert twin , but that does n’t think of they apprize constantly fuddled feet . I ca n’t give you an exact watering docket because a circle of it depend on factors like light and temperature , but here are some canonic indications :
This plant is n’t to a fault fussy about humidity , although it does grow easily if the air moisture grade is 50 percent or more .
Soil and planting
Because Rhipsalis does n’t deal well with being in forever wet territory , it ’s important to choose a well - drain medium . It does n’t have to be quite as gritty as soil for desert cacti ( which sometimes consists of only guts and nopotting soilat all ) , but adding a handful ofperliteand / or orchid barque really helps to keep inadvertent overwatering .
When it comes to the right plantation owner for your Rhipsalis , that mostly depends on your own preferences . As long as it has a drain jam , you ’re all good ! A pay heed planter is plain a great choice for a “ spiller ” like this , but you could also keep it in a normal pot and countenance the stems creep over the edge of a ledge or console .
As we discussed , the Old World mistletoe cactus is naturally an aerophyte . Although it ’s almost always sell in a normal planter , its epiphytic nature mean that technically , you could also rise it on wood . Some sphagnum moss should be helpful in keep the antecedent moist enough .
Recommended product for Rhipsalis plant care :
Fertilizing
Rhipsalis cacti are n’t enceinte feeders . However , if yours is happily chug along and growing well , and if it ’s been a while since you last repot it , you could weigh applying a dilute liquid houseplant fertiliser on a monthly basis .
As always , do n’t apply plant food during wintertime or in an attempt to revive a dying flora . Unfortunately this only makes matter worse !
recommend plant food for Rhipsalis :
Pruning
This cactus loosely does n’t require much in terms of pruning . you’re able to absent any beat or dying stems or hack a few to clean up the feel of your flora , if you so desire .
Pruning can also help encourage the stems to branch out a bit , so if your plant is looking especially sparse , you’re able to slue a few and bind them back in the soil with the female parent works to give her a fuller look .
Dividing or repotting
If your Rhipsalis is set out to outgrow its planter , you ’ve got two options . Either you repot the whole affair , or you split the plant and place part of it in a different planter .
I in person prefer the former ; there ’s just something about a vast , bushy and mature Rhipsalis works with tenacious , flowy stem !
Propagating Rhipsalis
Propagating a houseplant really does n’t get much easy than with a Rhipsalis . Thanks to their segment stem and power to sprout roots from somewhat much anywhere , manifold them is a breeze .
you may take cuttings from a Rhipsalis by snapping off a division at any foliage link item . The with child the cut , the better : very lowly ones consisting of one or two slender stems may shrivel up before they can root . magnanimous cutting that include at least a brace of bow have enough water salt away to last them until their root system has evolve .
you could circularize a Rhipsalis flora in water , but it ’s easiest to just skim the surplus footstep and pop your cut straight into soil . Lightly drizzle the soil once every other mean solar day or so ( like with a spray feeding bottle ) and it should root in no time .
If you ’re not sure whether your cutting has rooted yet , you could give it a slight tower . If you feel any resistor , you ’re in the clean ! New emergence on the cutting is also a sure mansion that it has wield to successfully establish itself . Once it settle , you have a brand raw Rhipsalis to keep or give away .
you may actually grow a Loranthus europaeus cactus from seed as well . If yours produces berries , give it a guess !
Is Rhipsalis toxic to cats and dogs?
There are various sources that name Rhipsalis cacti as toxic . The serious news ? It ’s not in reality true !
I ’m not indisputable where the disarray set off ; it may have something to do with the fact that one of its vernacular name is ‘ coral cactus ’ , which is also used for a Euphorbia mintage that actually is toxic . Anyway , if your pet or shaver takes a bite out of your Rhipsalis , there ’s no reason to worry .
Do keep in psyche that cats in particular discover those recollective drop stems very hard to resist , and the entire planter can come cotton on down if they get snagged . If you have a cat , it ’s ripe to place your Rhipsalis somewhere it ca n’t touch .
Sources :
https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/152365/628721
https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/152443/637316
Brito , R. G. , Santos , R. L. , Guimarães , G. P. , Ponciano , T. N. , Dantas , I. C. , & Felismino , D. C. ( 2011 ) . cosmetic toxic works species sold in Campina Grande ’s grocery , Paraíba , Brazil . InPoisoning by flora , mycotoxins and related toxins(pp . 101 - 104 ) . Wallingford UK : CABI .
Cota - Sánchez , J. H. , & Bomfim - Patrício , M. C. ( 2010 ) . Seed syllable structure , polyploidy and the evolutionary history of the epiphytic cactus Rhipsalis baccifera ( Cactaceae).Polibotánica , ( 29 ) , 107 - 129 .
Zampini , I. C. , Ordóñez , R. , Giannini , N. P. , Blendinger , P. G. , & Isla , M. I. ( 2011 ) . Nutraceutical properties and toxicity study of fruits from four Cactaceae species grown in Argentine Northwestern . Food research international,44(7 ) , 2345 - 2351 .
