Rhipsalis pilocarpa or Rhipsalis cereuscula - or?

If you have a cactus plant and need help identifying it, this is the place to post it.
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Tetrazole
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Rhipsalis pilocarpa or Rhipsalis cereuscula - or?

Post by Tetrazole »

I just read a posting of an unknown tropical cactus that was in the succulent ID page. Up until reading that posting, I thought that the plant I purchased a couple of years ago was a Rhipsalis pilocarpa - after all, it was labeled as such (for all that's worth). A photo of my plant may be viewed below. The plant in the other thread (see http://cactiguide.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=15630) looked like mine but was identified as Rhipsalis cereuscula. It may well be a different animal altogether though. My plant has never bloomed but it has grown a great deal this winter. Any thought on its identity would be welcomed.

Nathan

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Last edited by Tetrazole on Tue Feb 09, 2010 9:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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hablu
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Post by hablu »

Hello Nathan
Not pilocarpa; tht is this one.(more hairy 'spines")
harry

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Tetrazole
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Post by Tetrazole »

Here are some more photos of the Rhipsalis ssp. I wrote in about. Perhaps these will aid in giving it a proper identity.


Thanks Again,
Nathan

Detail of older, more compact growth.
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New, lankier growth.
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daiv
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Post by daiv »

I think Rhipsalis mesembryanthemoides on this one.

(I had to copy/paste the name - I did not type that by memory!)
All Cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are Cacti
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Tetrazole
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Post by Tetrazole »

Looking at the two photos on the CaciGuide site I would be split. The first photo really doesn't seem to resemble the plant at all - it appears to almost mimic a donkey tail plant or some other sedum. The second photo is much closer to my plant. You have to love the extreme variability demonstrated among these critters.

Nathan
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daiv
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Post by daiv »

Actually, I think your plant could be that, but using Supple's Rhipsalis book, I think it is actually cereuscula as you suspected. I also think the two I have pictured for cereuscula are grandiflora.
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luddhus
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Post by luddhus »

Looks much more like cereuscula than mesembryanthemoides to me. I'm not convinced that the second photo on the mesembryanthemoides page in the genus section shows the correct species.
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