Rhipsalis

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Ordo: Caryophyllales

Familia: Cactaceae
Subfamilia: Cactoideae
Tribus: Rhipsalideae
Genus: Rhipsalis
Subgenera: R. subg. Calamorhipsalis – R. subg. Erythrorhipsalis – R. subg. Rhipsalis
Species overview: R. agudoensis – R. aurea – R. baccifera – R. burchellii – R. campos-portoana – R. cereoides – R. cereuscula – R. clavata – R. crispata – R. crispimarginata – R. cuneata – R. dissimilis – R. elliptica – R. ewaldiana – R. floccosa – R. goebeliana – R. grandiflora – R. hileiabaiana – R. hoelleri – R. juengeri – R. lindbergiana – R. mesembryanthemoides – R. micrantha – R. neves-armondii – R. oblonga – R. olivifera – R. ormindoi – R. pacheo-leonis – R. pachyptera – R. paradoxa – R. pentaptera – R. pilocarpa – R. pulchra – R. puniceodiscus – R. russellii – R. shaferi – R. sulcata – R. teres – R. triangularis – R. trigona
Source(s) of checklist:
Calvente (2012)
Name

Rhipsalis Gaertn. (1788), nom. cons.

Type species: R. cassytha Gaertn. = R. baccifera
(J.S.Muell.) Stearn.

Synonyms

Heterotypic
Cassytha Mill., Gard. Dict., ed. 8. 1768, nom. illeg. non L. (1753).
Type species: non design.
Hariota Adans., Fam. Pl. 2: 243. 1763.
Type species: non design.
Hylorhipsalis Doweld, Sukkulenty 4(1-2): 37. 2001 publ. 2002.
Type species: Hylorhipsalis pentaptera (Pfeiff. ex A.Dietr.) Doweld
Erythrorhipsalis A.Berger, Monatsschr. Kakteenk. 30: 4. 1920.
Type species: Erythrorhipsalis pilocarpa (Loefgr.) A.Berger

References

Calvente, A. 2012: A New Subgeneric Classification of Rhipsalis (Cactoideae, Cactaceae). Systematic Botany 37(4): 983–988.
Farr, E. R. & Zijlstra, G. eds. (1996-) Index Nominum Genericorum (Plantarum). 2009 Nov 11 [1].
Gaertner, J. 1788: Fruct. 1: 137.

Vernacular names
English: mistletoe cacti
suomi: Korallikaktukset

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).

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 bristles, 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

In the taxonomic treatment in The New Cactus Lexicon, 35 species were accepted, divided into five subgenera (Phyllarthrorhipsalis, Rhipsalis, Epallagogonium, Calamorhipsalis, Erythrorhipsalis).[11] A molecular study in 2011 showed the paraphyly of three subgenera as previously circumscribed (Rhipsalis, Calamorhipsalis and Epallagogonium).[7] So a new subgeneric classification of Rhipsalis with only monophyletic subgenera Rhipsalis, Calamorhipsalis and Erythrorhipsalis was proposed.[1] Species accepted by Plants of the World Online as of March 2021 are listed below,[12] with subgeneric placements, where given, based on Calvente (2012).[1]

Subgenus	Image	Scientific name	Distribution
Calamorhipsalis		Rhipsalis dissimilis (G.Lindb.) 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 ex Pfeiff.) 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)
Rhipsalis		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) Backeb.	Brazil
		Rhipsalis crispata (Haw.) Pfeiff.	Brazil (Pernambuco, Rio de Janeiro, 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 (N.P.Taylor & Barthlott) N.Korotkova & 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) DC.	Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
		Rhipsalis oblonga Loefgr., syn. Rhipsalis crispimarginata	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. ex A.Dietr.	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 (Vell.) Steud.	Brazil
		Rhipsalis triangularis Werderm.	Brazil ( Rio de Janeiro)
Unknown		Rhipsalis barthlottii Ralf Bauer & N.Korotkova
		Rhipsalis flagelliformis N.P.Taylor & Zappi
		Rhipsalis hylaea F.Ritter
		Rhipsalis shaferi Britton & Rose

Notes

The original spelling in publication is cassutha, but this is presumably a typographical error.

References

Calvente, A. (2012), "A New Subgeneric Classification of Rhipsalis (Cactoideae, Cactaceae)", Systematic Botany, 37 (4): 983–988, doi:10.1600/036364412X656455, S2CID 84206266
Anderson (2001), p. 612
"Rhipsalis". Oxford Dictionaries UK Dictionary. 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
Korotkova, Nadja (2011), Phylogeny and evolution of the epiphytic Rhipsalideae (Cactaceae) (PDF) (PhD thesis), Bonn
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
Barthlott, Wilhelm (1983), "Biogeography and Evolution in Neo- and Paleotropical Rhipsalinae (Cactaceae)", 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

"Rhipsalis Gaertn". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2021-03-13.

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 (13): 43–79, doi:10.25223/brad.n13.1995.a7, S2CID 89883634