Badmin: Created page with "{{Taxobox | name = Rhipsalis | image = Rhipsalis_baccifera.jpg | kingdom = Plantae | family = Cactaceae | subfamily = Cactoideae | tribe = Rhipsalideae | genus = '''Rhipsalis''' | authority = Gaertn. (1788) | notes = Taxonomy follows Joël Lodé (2015) with reference to Barthlott & Taylor (1995), Cálvente (2010, 2012), and Korotkova (2011). }} == Etymology == The name refers to wickerwork, alluding to the tangled, flexible, basket-like stems. == Descri..."

2026-04-23T12:31:21Z

Created page with "{{Taxobox | name = Rhipsalis | image = Rhipsalis_baccifera.jpg | kingdom = Plantae | family = Cactaceae | subfamily = Cactoideae | tribe = Rhipsalideae | genus = '''Rhipsalis''' | authority = Gaertn. (1788) | notes = Taxonomy follows Joël Lodé (2015) with reference to Barthlott & Taylor (1995), Cálvente (2010, 2012), and Korotkova (2011). }} == Etymology == The name refers to wickerwork, alluding to the tangled, flexible, basket-like stems. == Descri..."

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{{Taxobox
| name = Rhipsalis
| image = Rhipsalis_baccifera.jpg
| kingdom = [[Plantae]]
| family = [[Cactaceae]]
| subfamily = [[Cactoideae]]
| tribe = [[Rhipsalideae]]
| genus = '''Rhipsalis'''
| authority = Gaertn. (1788)
| notes = Taxonomy follows Joël Lodé (2015) with reference to Barthlott & Taylor (1995), Cálvente (2010, 2012), and Korotkova (2011).
}}

== Etymology ==
The name refers to wickerwork, alluding to the tangled, flexible, basket-like stems.

== Description ==
'''Rhipsalis''' is a highly diverse genus of mostly epiphytic cacti with variable stem morphology.

* '''Habit''': Usually epiphytic; sometimes epilithic; pendulous or sprawling.
* '''Stems''': Highly variable; cylindrical, ribbed, angled, winged or flattened; segmented.
* '''Growth pattern''': Acrotonic or mesotonic depending on species.
* '''Roots''': Adventitious aerial roots often present.
* '''Areoles''': Terminal present or absent depending on species.
* '''Spines''': Usually absent; present only in juvenile stages or rare taxa.
* '''Flowers''': Diurnal; small; rotate.
* '''Flower color''': White to creamy-white; rarely red.
* '''Pollination''': Likely by small insects (bees, flies, possibly moths).
* '''Fruits''': Berry-like; usually smooth; spherical to ovoid.
* '''Seed traits''': Seeds surrounded by mucilage.
* '''Seed dispersal''': By birds and small primates.

== Habitat ==
Occurs in a wide range of tropical ecosystems:

* rainforest canopies
* humid forests (ombrophilous)
* mangroves and swampy environments
* occasionally on rocks or other cacti

Altitude range: from sea level up to ~2650 m.

== Distribution ==
Pantropical distribution:

* Central and South America
* Caribbean
* Africa
* Madagascar
* Indian Ocean islands
* Southeast Asia

'''Rhipsalis baccifera''' is the only cactus species naturally occurring outside the Americas.

== Taxonomy ==
A complex and evolving genus.

Key points:

* Traditionally classified by morphology, leading to artificial groupings
* Molecular studies (Cálvente 2010, 2012) revealed non-monophyletic subgenera
* Korotkova (2011): confirmed monophyly of tribe Rhipsalideae and clarified generic limits
* Three main subgenera currently recognized: ''Rhipsalis'', ''Calamorhipsalis'', ''Erythrorhipsalis''
* Several taxa likely require reclassification based on molecular data

The genus is accepted as valid in Lodé (2015).

== Species ==
According to Joël Lodé (2015):

* [[Rhipsalis agudoensis]]
* [[Rhipsalis alboareolata]]
* [[Rhipsalis aurea]]
* [[Rhipsalis baccifera]]
* [[Rhipsalis baccifera subsp. erythrocarpa]]
* [[Rhipsalis baccifera subsp. horrida]]
* [[Rhipsalis baccifera subsp. mauritiana]]
* [[Rhipsalis burchellii]]
* [[Rhipsalis campos-portoana]]
* [[Rhipsalis cereoides]]
* [[Rhipsalis cereuscula]]
* [[Rhipsalis clavata]]
* [[Rhipsalis crispata]]
* [[Rhipsalis crispimarginata]]
* [[Rhipsalis cuneata]]
* [[Rhipsalis dissimilis]]
* [[Rhipsalis elliptica]]
* [[Rhipsalis ewaldiana]]
* [[Rhipsalis flagelliformis]]
* [[Rhipsalis floccosa]]
* [[Rhipsalis floccosa subsp. hohenauensis]]
* [[Rhipsalis floccosa subsp. oreophila]]
* [[Rhipsalis floccosa subsp. pittieri]]
* [[Rhipsalis floccosa subsp. pulvinigera]]
* [[Rhipsalis floccosa subsp. tucumanensis]]
* [[Rhipsalis goebeliana]]
* [[Rhipsalis grandiflora]]
* [[Rhipsalis hileiabaiana]]
* [[Rhipsalis hoelleri]]
* [[Rhipsalis juengeri]]
* [[Rhipsalis lindbergiana]]
* [[Rhipsalis mesembryanthemoides]]
* [[Rhipsalis micrantha]]
* [[Rhipsalis micrantha subsp. rauhiorum]]
* [[Rhipsalis neves-armondii]]
* [[Rhipsalis oblonga]]
* [[Rhipsalis occidentalis]]
* [[Rhipsalis olivifera]]
* [[Rhipsalis ormindoi]]
* [[Rhipsalis pacheco-leonis]]
* [[Rhipsalis pacheco-leonis subsp. catenulata]]
* [[Rhipsalis pachyptera]]
* [[Rhipsalis paradoxa]]
* [[Rhipsalis paradoxa subsp. septentrionalis]]
* [[Rhipsalis pentaptera]]
* [[Rhipsalis pilocarpa]]
* [[Rhipsalis pulchra]]
* [[Rhipsalis puniceodiscus]]
* [[Rhipsalis russellii]]
* [[Rhipsalis shaferi]]
* [[Rhipsalis sulcata]]
* [[Rhipsalis teres]]
* [[Rhipsalis triangularis]]
* [[Rhipsalis trigona]]

== Notes ==
* The only cactus genus naturally occurring in the Old World.
* Represents one of the widest geographic distributions in Cactaceae.
* Strong example of morphological convergence in epiphytic plants.
* Often mistaken for non-cactus tropical plants.
* Key genus for understanding epiphytic cactus evolution.

[[Category:Cactaceae]]
[[Category:Cactoideae]]
[[Category:Rhipsalideae]]
[[Category:Rhipsalis]]

Rhipsalis - Revision history