4 
- RHIPSALIS Cassurma. 
Area Naked Cassutha. | 
ICOSANDRIA MONOGYNIA.—Nar. Orv. NOPALE. 
Juss. ined.—Dz Canp.—Cactoides, Venr.—Cactorum pars, Juss, Gen. Pl. 
Gen. Cuar.—Cal. superne subquadrifidus. Corolla 4-partita, una cum Ca« | 
lyce persistens. Stam. sub-duodecim ; antheris rotundatis. Stigma 3-fi< 
dum. Bacca pellucida. Semina 12-20 intra pulpam nidulantia. 
Plante aphylle. Caules cylindracei nunc fasciculatim pilosi, obscure arti- 
culati. Flores parvi. 
Rhipsalis Casuiha ; ramis verticillatis cylindraceis glabris nudis. 
R. Cassutha, Gartn. De Fruct. v.i. p. 137. t. 28. f. 1—Haw. Syn. Pl. Succ. 
p- 187. : 
Cactus pendulus, Sw. Fi. Ind. Occ. v. i. p: 876.—WILLD. Sp. Pl. v. il. p. 942. 
Arr. Hort. Kew. ed. 2. v. iii. p. 178. 
‘Cassytha baccifera, Miu. Illustr. 
Stems 2 feet, or rather more, in length, growing in their native country e el~ 
ther upon the ground, or from the trunks of trees, drooping, much 
branched, the branches mostly verticillate, jointed, fragile at the joints, 
everywhere almost exactly cylindrical, green, smooth, and naked. — 
From the branches on all sides appear the small scattered flowers, when — 
in perfection scarcely exceeding a hemp-seed in size, yellowish-white. 
Calyx very minute, cut into usually four ovate, obtuse, segments. 
Corolla 4-partite, segments oblongo-ovate concave, nearly equal, erecto- 
patent, including the stamens and style. Stamens about 12, united at 
the base of the petals. Filaments white, short. Anthers rounded, 4-lobed, 
dotted, yellowish-white. Germen inferior, or, more correctly speaking, 
incorporated with the tube of the calyx, thrice as large as the calyx and 
corolla, green, glabrous. Style longer than the stamens, but shorter than 
the corolla, filiform. Stigma 3-cleft, downy. The Fruit forms nearly 
spherical berries, about as large as pease, which are not unfrequently | on 
the same plant with the flowers ; flesh-coloured, pellucid, terminated with 
the persistent calyx and corolla, very Juicy, containing from 12 to 20 ob- 
long subangular brown seeds, which seem to be collected around a pellucid 
central receptacle, and are beautifully striated with dots. Albumen 0. 
Embryo of the same shape as the seed, its radicle placed next the hilum. 
An inhabitant of the West Indian Islands and New Spain, 
growing, as it is said, generally from the trunks of trees, in the 
same manner as the Misseltoe does with us. 
Such a _ of growth, combined with such a habit: as we 
VOL. 
