155 



trees, tliou^h sometimes found on cliffs, and tlu y are mesopli)tes 

 rather than xerophytes, inhabiting moist or wet regions. Some 

 of them bear spines or bristles at the areoles of joung shoots, 

 which usually fall away early, leaving the mature plants quite 

 unarmed, but a few South American species bear spines even 

 when mature. Their flowers are whitish, yellowish, or pink, 

 often almost rotate when widely expanded, the peiianth segments 

 few, the perianth-tube short or none ; the stamens are few or 

 numerous and shorter than the perianth ; the fruits are globular 

 or oblong, white or \ellowish berries with a water)' pulp full of 

 small seeds. 



Three species are now known from the West Indies, which may 

 be classified as follows : 



Joints terete, slender ( A«/^'/ja/;.f). i. A'. Cmsutha. 

 Joints flat {Phylhi/nf>siilis). 



loints 4-6 cm. wide; flowers 15 nim. long; lierry olilong. 2. /\'. nloln. 



Joints 1-2. 5 cm wide ; flowers 6 mm. long ; berry subglobo.se. 



3. R . jaiiiiiii ensis. 



I. Rhipsalis Cassutha Gaertn. Fr. & Sem. I : 137. 1788 

 Cassytha filiforiuis Mill. Gard. Diet. Ed. 8. 1768. Not L. 

 Cactus parasiticus Lam. Encycl. I : 541. 1783. Not L. 

 Cactus pcndulvs S\\. Fl. Ind. Occ. 2: 876. 1800. 

 Cactus caripcnsis H.B.K. Nov. Gen. 6: 66. 1823. 

 Cereus carifcnsis DC. Prodr. 3: 467. 1828. 

 Rhipsalis parasiticus DC. Prodr. 3: 476. 1828. 

 Cactus fascii7i/atus V^\\\6. Fnum. Suppl. 33. 181 3. 

 Rhipsalis pai asitic a Haw. Syn. PI. Succ. 187. 18 12. 

 Rhipsalis fasciculata Haw. Suppl. 83. 18 19. 

 Rhipsalis cassytJioidcs G. Don, Gen. Syst. 3: 176. 1834. 

 Rhipsalis dichotoma G. Don, Gen. Syst. 3 : 170. 1834. 

 Rhipsalis uiidulata Pfeiff. Fnum. 156. 1837. 

 Rhipsalis Hookeriaua G. Don, Gen. Syst. 3: 176. 1834. 

 Hariota parasitica Kuntze, Rev. Gen. PI. 262. 1891. 



Plant often i m. long or longer, much branched, light green, 

 pendent from trees or on cliffs, the branches flexible ; flowers 6— 8 

 mm. long ; petals about 4, ovate, obtuse ; staniens about 9. 

 [Figure i,] 

 Type locality : Not cited. 



