RHIPSALIS. 



241 



Rhipsalis ramidosa has long been a doubtful species. Its origin was unknown at the 

 time of its first publication, but Schumann in 1 890 attributed it to Costa Rica, but this was 

 evidently a mistake. 



Vaupel has recently pubHshed an article (Zeitschrift fiir Sukkulentenkunde i: 19. 

 1923) in which he states that the type was cultivated in the Botanical Garden of Berlin 

 in 1833 and that specimens are now preserved in the herbarium there. He states that these 

 are the same as the plant collected by Ule at Seringal, San Francisco, in the Upper Acre 

 region of Brazil, about 10° south latitude, towards the border of Bolivia and Peru. He 

 would also refer here a plant collected by Tafalla in 1790 at Pozugo in eastern Peru. 

 Cactus dentatus Ruiz (Martins, Fl. Bras. 4-: 288. 1890), given as a synonym of Rhipsalis 

 alata by Schumann, is based on Tafalla's plant and according to Vaupel should not have 

 been credited to Ruiz. 



Epiphyllum ramulosuni, E. ciliare, and E. ciliatum were all given by Pfeiffer (Enum. 

 Cact. 130. 1837) as synonyms of Rhipsalis ramulosa. 



Figure 229 shows a drawing made from Mr. Williams's specimen. 



Fig. 229. — Top of fruiting branch of Rhipsalis ramulosa. X0.75. 



45. Rhipsalis purpusii Weingart, Monatsschr. Kakteenk. 28: 78. 1918. 



Plant epiphytic; stems 8 mm. in diameter, woody, terete, brown; branches weak, elongated, 

 terete below, flattened above, thin, remotely crenate; flowers small, white, solitary. 



Type locality: Cerro de Boqueron, Chiapas, Mexico. 

 Distribution: Known only from the type locality. 



This must be related to the Costa Rican plant, Rhipsalis coriacea, and perhaps 

 conspecific. 



Illustrations: Monatsschr. Kakteenk. 28: 79; Mollers Deutsche Gart. Zeit. 35: 117. 



46. Rhipsalis coriacea Polakowsky, Linnaea 41: 562. 1877. 



Ilarioia coriacea Kuntze. Rev. Gen. PI. i: 262. 1891. 



Rhipsalis angustissima Weber Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat. Paris 8: 465. 1902. 



Rhipsalis leiophloea Vaupel, Zeitschrift Sukkulentk. i: 20. 1923. 



Stems 2 to 10 cm. high, woody and terete at base, with many lateral branches; branches often 

 hanging, i to 3.5 cm. broad, thin, serrate, the teeth 1.5 to 2.5 cm. apart, bearing the small areoles; 

 young branches purple, terete at first, but finally broad and flattened above; areoles at base of branch 

 and sometimes but rarely on flattened part, bearing 2 to 7 long, hairy bristles; flowers rather narrow, 

 including ovary 12 mm. long, each subtended by a shallow scale; sepals and petals erect below; 

 sepals usually 3, cream-colored, tinged with red; petals greenish white to pinkish, usually 5 to 10, 

 obtuse, 7 to 8 mm. long; stamens numerous, white; style white; stigma-lobes short, white; fruit 

 white, 7 mm. in diameter, bearing several broad, rounded scales; seeds black. 



Type locality: Near Cartago, Costa Rica. 

 Distribution: Widely distributed in Costa Rica. 



