see in the plant before us, and such inconspicuous flowers, with 
the proportionally large fruit, would, at first sight, seem to in- 
dicate a distinct genus from those shewy and splendid species 
of Cactus which we are accustomed to behold in every garden. 
Gjertner first separated the present individual from that ge- 
nus, and gave it the name which I have adopted ; in doing 
which he has been followed by Haworth, and by some of the 
continental botanists. At the same time, it must be confess- 
ed, that the characters of the genus have been very imperfectly 
investigated. The calyx is undoubtedly erroneously described 
by GuERTNER and Hawouth ; the corolla, stamens, and style, 
are not noticed, and the number of seeds, in each berry, is by 
no means confined to 12, for I counted as many as 20 in one 
fruit. These seeds, too, Gartner says, differ from those of 
the Cactus, inasmuch as the latter have an albumen; but when 
that author proceeds to figure and describe those of Cactus^ he 
speaks of them as exalbuminose. 
I have found myself, therefore, under the necessity of making 
considerable alterations in the generic character, and am still 
far from looking upon it as satisfactory. Indeed, the whole 
fructification is so nearly allied to the other cactoid plants, that, 
were it not for the strong peculiarity in the habit of the plant, 
and the high authority of G^ertner and Ha worth, the lat- 
ter of whom has laboured so much among the genera and spe- 
cies of succulent plants, I should scarcely have ventured to keep 
the genus Rhipsalis distinct. 
This plant flowers dming the greater part of the year, and 
requires the heat of the stove. We possess in the Botanic 
Garden some other species of this genus, which are described 
by Mr Haworth. Of these, the C. parasiticus, figured by 
De Candolle in his Plantes Grasses, comes nearest to the 
present individual, but differs, in the young branches having 
fascicles of hair. 
Fig, A, Portion of a plant in flower ; and B portion of a plant in fruit, natu- 
ral size. Fig. 1. The unexpanded bud. Fig. 2. Flower. Fig. 3. Petal 
and portion of the calyx, with 3 stamens. Fig. 4. Style and stigma. 
Fig. 5. Berry. Fig. 6. The same cut through transversely, shewing the 
position of the seeds. Fig. 7- Single seed. Fig. 8. Seed, cut through 
vertically, to shew the embryo. Fig. 9- Embryo removed from the seed, 
magni/ied. 
