Desc from B&R 1923

Plant - stems much branched, often pendent; 
Branches -  often in whorls of 3's or 4's, 3 to 4 mm. in diameter, bright green;
Areoles -  minute, reddish; 
Flowers -  few, usually from near the tips of terminal branches, purplish red, large, 12 to 14 mm. long; 

Petals  - oblong, obtuse; 
Stigma-lobes -  white; 
Ovary -  purplish red. 

Type Locality  Serra da Mantiquerira, Brazil. 

Notes from Bradleya 3

DISTRIBUTION. Brazil (Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo): epiphyte or lithophyte in perhumid cloud forest, at 1500-2400 m altitude

This little-known species, which Daniela Zappi has recently introduced to cultivation in Europe, may provide a connection between Lepismium Subg. Ophiorhipsalis and Rhipsalis Subg. Erythrorhipsalis. Its flowers are borne either terminally and/or laterally, but are always directed downwards and very strongly resemble those of R. burchellii and R. campos-portoana -- the reason for it being provisionally placed in this subgenus. Its vegetative habit, however, is atypical within Subg. Erythrorhipsalis and agrees better with R. puniceodiscus and R. hoelleri (Subg. Calamorhipsalis), which share its limp stem-segments of indeterminate growth, subacrotonic branching and lack of terminal composite areoles.

In European living collections, the name R. pulchra has been, until now, generally misapplied to other species, amongst them R. pacheco-leonis Lofgren.

Desc from Hunt 2006.
Body pendent up to 6m or more; branch segments naked and smooth except for minute scales, all of indeterminate growth, but generally decreasing in length further away from root, branching acrotonic, terminal composite areoles usually lacking; flowers subterminal in clusters or lateral, 1.5 x 1.5-2.5cm, pink, rarely white, buds inconspicuously erumpent, oblique to branch and directed downwards; stigma 3-6, up to 3mm; fruit up to 8 x 7.5mm, purplish red, rarely white

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