226 



THE CACTACEAE. 



Rhipsalis parasitica Haworth, Syn. PI. Succ. 187. 1812. 



Cactus caripetisis* Htimboldt, Bonpland, and Kunth, Nov. Gen. et Sp. 6: 66. 



Cereiis caripensis De Candolle, Prodr. 3: 467. 1828. 



Rhipsalis cassytha dichotoma De Candolle, Prodr. 3: 476. 1828. 



Rhipsalis cassytha manritianai De Candolle, Prodr. 3: 476. 1828. 



Rhipsalis cassytha mociniana De Candolle, Prodr. 3: 476. 1828. 



Rhipsalis cassytha hookeriana De Candolle, Prodr. 3: 476. 1828. 



Rhipsalis cass'ytha swartziana De Candolle, Mem. Mus. Hist. Nat. Paris 17: 80. 



Rhipsalis dichotoma G. Don, Hist. Dichl. PI. 3: 176. 1834. 



Rhipsalis hookeriana G. Don, Hist. Dichl. PI. 3: 176. 1834. 



Rhipsalis cassythoides G. Don, Hist. Dichl. PI. 3: 176. 1S34. 



Rhipsalis cassutha pendula Salm-Dj-ck 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. i : 335. 1840. 



Rhipsalis aethiopica Wehvitsch, Journ. Linn. Soc. Bot. 3: 152. 1S59 



Rhipsalis minutiflora Schumann in jNIartius, Fl. Bras. 4^: 271. 1890. 



Hariota parasitica Kuntze, Rev. Gen. PL i: 262. 1891. 



Rhipsalis coniorensis Weber, Rev. Hort. 64: 424. 1892. 



Rhipsalis zanzibaricai Weber, Rev. Hort. 64: 425. 1892. 



Fig. 222. — Rhipsalis cassutha. 



Epiphytic or saxicolous, usualty growing on trunk or branches of large trees, hanging in large 

 clusters, i 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 aerial roots, often only 3 

 mm. 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, smah, greenish in bud, sometimes subtended 

 by a 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, Panama to 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 flesh-colored. 

 Weber, who received a red-frtiited form from Costa Rica, has named it variety rhodocarpa 

 (Diet. 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 chffs. 



*This name was written Cactus garipensis by Kunth (Syn. PI. Aeq. 3: 370. 1824) and is so listed in the Index 

 Kewensis. 



t De Candolle gives Cactus pendulinus Sieber (Fl. Maur. 2. n. 259) as a synonym of this variety, 

 t Schumann (Gesamtb. Kakteen 623) spells the name Rhipsalis sansibarica. 



