Lepismium floribundum Supplie, Rhipsalis & Lepismium 65-6, ill.81. 2007


Flores similitudinem floribus Lepismii houlletiani f. houlletiani habent, 18 mm diametientes. Folia perianthii 9- 11 longitudine 7- 10 mm et latitudine ad 3 mm. Flores campanulati, folia perianthii interiora alborosea sunt, exteriora 4-5 roseorubra, parva, 3- 5 mm longa. Ovarium rubrum est, angulare, cum flore comparatum parvum et tenue. Stamina ad 30 ad 5 mm longa sunt antheris albis. Pistillum album 5 mm longum est stigmatibus divergentibus et 1.5-1.6 mm longis. Flores hyacinthos valde redolent. Fructus ruber est, globosus et ad 6 mm diametiens; reliquiae floris siccati in fructu remanent. Rami 10- 40 cm longi sunt, triangulares et 10- 30 mm diametientes. Areolae pilis setosis parvis 1- 3 mm longis instructae sunt.
Typus: Kreuz 2001/18, Porto Alegre, Brasilia. Holotypus depositus est in Herbario EPRIC, Noviomagense sub numero EPRIC 2006/067.

Description: hanging growth, branches between 10-40cm long, 3-angled, 10-20mm in diameter.

  • Epidermis green.
  • Areoles small, with bristles, 1-2mm long.
  • Flowers 1.8cm in diameter, 9-11 flower petals.
  • Flower-petals 7-l0mm long and 3mm broad, clock form.
  • Inner flower-petals pink/white.
  • Outer flower-petals pink red, 4-¬5.
  • Ovary red, small compared with the flower-size, hooked.
  • Style white, 5mm long, stigma-lobes 4-6, 1.5-1.6mm long,
  • Stamens to 0.5cm long, about 30.
  • Fruit red, round, 6mm in diameter. The dried flowers persistent to the fruit.

Comments: this new Lepismium species was discovered some years ago in Brasil. However the fact that the plant body looks like Lepismium cruciforme does not mean that this is one of the forms of Lepismium cruciforme. The flowers look much more like Lepismium houlletianum f. houlletianum. The difference with Lepismium houlletianum f. houlletianum is the very strong hyacinth fra¬grance. A smell I have never ever noticed in a Lepismium before and which did give me a headache. Not the easiest plant in culture.

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