Rhipsalis cassutha * Gaertner, Fruct. Sem. 1: 137. 1788.

R. cassutha, Leuven Botanic Garden, Leuven, Belgium © K Friedman 9/2003
(Because a name is on a plant in a botanic garden does not mean the name is correct.)

Treated as a synonym of Rhipsalis baccifera ssp. baccifera by B&T in Bradleya 13

Desc from B&R 1923, but as you can see it includes taxa from the old world that are excluded by B&T.

 

 

 

Rhipsalis cassutha * Gaertner, Fruct. Sem. 1: 137. 1788.

Cassytha filiformis Miller, Gard. Dict. ed. 8. 1768. Not Linnaeus, 1753.

Cactus parasiticus Lamarck, Encycl. 1: 541. 1783. Not Linnaeus, 1768.

Cactus pendulus Swartz. Prodr. 77. 1788.

Rhipsalis parasitica Haworth, Syn. Pl. Succ. 187. 1812.

Cactus caripensis * Humboldt, Bonpland, and Kunth, Nov. Gen et Sp. 6: 66. 1823

Cereus caripensis De Candolle, Prodr. 3: 467. 1828.

Rhipsalis cassytha dichotoma De Candolle, Prodr. 3: 476. 1828.

Rhipsalis cassytha mauritiana** De Candolle, Prodr. 3: 476. 1828.

Rhipsalis cassytha mociniana De Candolle, Prodr. 3: 476. 1828.

Rhipsalis cassytha hookeriana De Candolle, Prodr. 3: 476. 1828.

Rhipsalis cassytha swartziana De Candolle, Mem. Mus. Hist. Nat. Paris 17: 80. 1828

Rhipsalis dichotoma G. Don, Hist. Dichl. Pl. 3: 176. 1834.

Rhipsalis hookeriana G. Don, Hist. Dichl. Pl. 3: 176. 1834.

Rhipsalis cassythoides G. Don, Hist. Dichl. Pl. 3: 176. 1834.

Rhipsalis cassutha pendula Salm-Dyck in Pfeiffer, Enum. Cact. 134. 1837

Rhipsalis undulata Pfeiffer, Enum. Cact. 136. 1837.

Hariota cassytha Lemaire, Cact. Gen. Nov. Sp. 75. 1839.

Cereus parasiticus Haworth in Steudel, Nom. ed. 2. 1. 335. 1840.

Rhipsalis aethiopica Welwitsch, Journ. Linn. Soc. Bot. 3: 152. 1859.

Rhipsalis minutiflora Schumann in Martius, FI. Bras. 4/2: 271. 1890.

Hariota parasitica Kuntze, Rev. Gen. Pl. 1: 262. 1891.

Rhipsalis comorensis Weber, Rev. Hort. 64: 424. 1892.

Rhipsalis zanzibarica*** Weber, Rev. Hort. 64:425. 1892. 

  • Plant Epiphytic or saxicolous, usually growing on trunk or branches of large trees, hanging in large clusters, 1 to 9 meters long, the branches weak and pendent;
  • Branches when young bearing 5 to 9 white bristles at the areoles, when old naked, terete, sometimes producing aerial roots, often only 3 mm. in diameter, light green, usually growing from tips of other branches, generally in pairs but sometimes in clusters of 6 or 8;
  • Flowers lateral, solitary , small, greenish in bud, sometimes subtended by a single bristle;
  • Petals 2 mm. long, cream-colored;
  • Stamens borne on disk;
  • Ovary exserted;
  • Fruit naked, white or pink, maturing a few days after flowering, globose, 5 mm. in diameter.
  • Type locality: Not cited.
  • Distribution:Florida, Mexico, Central America, West Indies, Panama to Dutch Guiana, eastern and southern Brazil, Colombia, Eucador, Bolivia, and Peru, also in Ceylon and tropi­cal Africa.

The fruit of Rhipsalis cassutha, while usually white, is sometimes described as red or pinkish. Hooker. in his Exotic Flora, figured and described the fruit as flesh-colored. Weber, who received a red-fruited form from Costa Rica, has named it variety rhodocarpa (Dict. Hort. Bois 1046. 1898). In the West Indies the plants inhabit moist districts and are most abundant in forests, but in the vicinity of Matanzas, Cuba, occur on cliffs.

 

*This name was written Cactus garipensis by Kunth (Syn. Pl. Aeq. 3: 370. 1824) and is so listed i:n the Index Kewensis.

**De Candolle gives Cactus pendulinus Sieber (Fl. Maur. 2. n. 259) as a synonym of this variety­

***Schumann (Gesamtb. Kakteen 623) spells the name Rhipsalis sansibarica.