26 VENTURA EPIPHYLLUM GARDENS 

For many generations they have been 
widely crossed within their own genus 
and with other genera of Cacti such as 
Hylocereus, Selenicereus, Heliocereus, and 
the resultant hybrids are known as Epi- 
phyllum hybrids or Phyllocacti. 
The flowers range in size from one to 
eleven inches in diameter. EPIPHYLLUM 
SPECIES are as follows: 
ANGULIGER. Flowers small, white out- 
‘er petals brown, late bloomer, fragrant 
and nocturnal. The plants are fern-like 
with deeply serrated stem. Locality, Mexi- 
co. 
COOPERI. A true Epiphyllum species. 
Fragrant large flowers which form at the 
base of the plant, outside petals yellow 
with inside petals white and wavy. Day 
flowering. Plant stems flat and slightly 
crenate. 
CRENATUM. Locality: Honduras and 
Guatemala. Extra pure white, 6-inch cup- 
shaped flower, growth slender; makes an 
excellent basket; day bloomer; day flower- 
ing. 
MUTATIONS (SPORTS) 
HELIOCEREUS CINNABARINUS. This 
species was discovered by a horticulturist 
named Eichlam in Guatemala, and as it 
grows at very high altitudes it is hardy 
to cold. It bears small 2-inch long scarlet 
flowers, triangular ribbed stems and is 
thorny. Blooms in the fall and is day 
bloomer. 
HOOKERI. Locality: Venezuela and 
Trinidad, where it grows today on coastal 
cliffs and ascends trees to a great height, 
10 to 15 feet or more. One of the oldest 
known species which is day-flowering. 
Large white flowers, flat stems. 
LATIFRONS syn. OXYPETALUM. Lo- 
cality: Mexico. This is known to many as 
the “Night Blooming Cereus.” It bears 
white flowers with a long curving tube, 
and is very fragrant. Night flowering. 
STRICTUM. Locality: Mexico. Small 
white flowers with vivid crimson. pistil; 
petals narrow, opens about four in the 
afternoon and lasts until noon of the fol- 
lowing day. Plant stems slightly serrated. 
Small Plants from Above List 50c Each 
IN EPIPHYLLUM HYBRIDS 
By Theresa M. Monmonier 
It is impossible in this space to go deeply 
into the subject of plant breeding, never- 
theless the possibilities of developing new 
varieties through MUTATION are fascin- 
ating to experiment with. VARIATION is 
Nature’s way of producing new varieties 
and forms. First, there is the progressive 
change which is natural to all plant life, 
and a slow process; a second way is HY- 
BRIDIZING through selective breeding, 
which also is a time-consuming process; 
third comes the variation by MUTATION, 
where the grower makes use of a SPORT 
or ROGUE, which springs spontaneously 
sometimes from an old, established vari- 
ety. Watch for these, or for any progeny 
unlike the parent in color, form or struc- 
ture. 
Inexplicable changes often take place in 
the chromosomes—in other words, they go 
“haywire” and produce something very 
different from the parents. These changes 
may be brought about by the use of chemi- 
cals, or by injury, or climatic conditions. 
Whether you have a species or just another 
variety depends on how great is this dif- 
ference. This is where the Epiphyllum So- 
ciety of America can be of great value 
by giving unbiased advice. 
A new form of Epiphyllum in which 
much work can be done is the chrysanthe- 
mum type of flower, in which the open 
center is done away with and the flowers 
are a mass of petals such as one finds in a 

MONCHERIE 
double chrysanthemum. This is a com- 
plete change in the flower structure, the 
first having been developed, so far as we 
know, by Mr. Curt Knebel. 
Complete diversion in plant formation or 
flower might constitute a new species or a 
new genus. One example of such a change 
is the Heliocereus x Epiphyllum, which 
gave birth to the new varieties Heliocereus 

