226 THE CACTACEAE. 
Rhipsalis parasitica Haworth, Syn. Pl. Succ. 187. 1812. 
Cactus caripensits* Humboldt, Bonpland, and Kunth, Nov. Gen. et Sp. 6: 66. 1823. 
Cereus caripensis De Candolle, Prodr. 3: 467. 1828. 
Rhipsalts cassytha dichotoma De Candolle, Prodr. 3: 476. . 1828. 
Rhipsalis cassytha mauritianat De Candolle, Prodr. 3: 476. 1828. 
Rhipsalts cassytha mociniana De Candolle, Prodr. 3: 476. 1828. 
Rhipsalis cassytha hookeriana De Candolle, Prodr. 3: 476. 1828. 
Rhipsalis cassytha swartztana De Candolle, Mém. 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. 
Rhipsalts 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, Fl. Bras. 42: 271. 1890. 
—AHariota parasitica Kuntze, Rev. Gen. Pl. 1: 262. 1891. 
Rhipsalis comorensis Weber, Rev. Hort. 64: 424. 1892. 
Rhipsalis zanztbarica t Weber, Rev. Hort. 64: 425. 1892. 
Fic. 222.—Rhipsalis cassutha. 
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 aérial roots, often only 3 
mim. 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 
bya 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, Panamato Dutch Guiana,, 
eastern and southern Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, 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 filesh-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. 
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*This name was written Cactus garipensis by Kunth (Syn. Pl. Aeq. 3: 370. 1824) and is so listed in the Index , 
Kewensis. 
t De Candolle gives Cactus pendulinus Sieber (F1. Maur. 2 i i 
: .2.n.2 as a synonym of this variety. 
{Schumann (Gesamtb. Kakteen 623) spells the name Rhipshe nae : 
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