Rhipsalis

Rhipsalis
File:Rhipsalis baccifera.jpg
Kingdom	Plantae
Family	Cactaceae
Subfamily	Cactoideae
Tribe	Rhipsalideae
SubTribe
Genus	Rhipsalis
Species
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.