Chapter VL 

 PHYLLOCACTUS. 



THE distinguishing character of Phyllocactus is well described 

 by the name. The difference between it and Epiphyllum is that 

 in the former the flowers are produced along the margins of the 

 flattened branches, whereas in the latter they are borne on the 

 apices of the short, truncated divisions. The stem is compressed 

 laterally, as if it had been hammered flat ; the margins are notched, 

 the flat portions being modified leaves not properly separated from 

 each other and from the stem. As the plant matures, they 

 gradually wither away, the central or woody portion only 

 remaining to form the stem. The large, showy flowers are deve- 

 loped from the notches. The fruit is red, fleshy and edible, 

 that of P. anguliger being used in preparing a refreshing drink 

 like lemonade. 



These are perhaps the most beautiful of all Cacti, and the 

 most useful in a garden sense. They have been cultivated in 

 English gardens for more than 200 years ; for it was in 1710 that 

 E. phyllanthus first flowered in the Apothecaries' Garden at Chelsea. 

 The majority of the kinds now in cultivation are the result of 

 cross-breeding. 



The home of the genus is the tropics of America, chiefly Mexico 

 and Central America, where the species grow upon the trunks of 

 gigantic forest-trees. They are therefore epiphytes in a wild state, 

 but under cultivation they thrive best when planted in pots. 



Cultivation. 



The following cultural directions are furnished by a very 

 successful grower of Phyllocacti : Their growing season is from 

 May, or after the flowers are over, till the end of August. As soon 

 as growth commences, the plants should be repotted, using a light, 

 rich soil, such as a mixture of loam, peat, rotten manure, and a 

 little sand. Small plants should have a fair shift ; larger ones only 

 into a pot which admits of a thin layer of fresh soil. The plants 

 flower most freely when pot-bound, and it is not necessary to repot 

 large specimens oftener than once every three years. After potting 

 they should be placed in a sunny position in a close tropical house 

 or frame, and be freely watered, syringing them overhead twice a 

 day in bright weather, and for the first few days after repotting 



