Epiphyllum anguliger or Selenicereus anthonyanus or other?

If you have a cactus plant and need help identifying it, this is the place to post it.
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ninjaneko
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Joined: Fri Feb 14, 2014 7:06 pm

Epiphyllum anguliger or Selenicereus anthonyanus or other?

Post by ninjaneko »

Hello everyone, I'm trying to identify this plant I've had for a couple of years now. I was told it was a staghorn fern when I bought it, but one google search told me that was pretty ridiculous. After a loooong search on cactiguide and other identification sites, it seems I have either an Epiphyllum anguliger or Selenicereus anthonyanus (maybe?).

The main reason I'd like to know is that it recently (past few months) started shooting out these long shoots with roots(?) and I'd like to know how to care for it properly. Some of the shoots have broken off and I'd like to replant them but don't know which part to stick in the dirt (it seems really odd to be writing that, but c'est la vie).

I read this, but still can't quite decide... http://cactiguide.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=12817" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

My plant is smooth to the touch and somewhat shiny, but has never flowered - it never even occurred to me it would flower!

Any help id'ing and advice for care would be greatly appreciated!

The photos show two plants: a larger pot (6"?) with a three larger leaves(?) with the shoots, one single leaf in a smaller pot (3"), and a little bunch of shoots that fell off the single leaf a while back.
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Carl_B
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Location: Isle of Wight, UK

Re: Epiphyllum anguliger or Selenicereus anthonyanus or othe

Post by Carl_B »

That is Epiphyllum anguliger looking at it, how much light is it getting? Those shoots look a bit etiolated...
DaveW
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Re: Epiphyllum anguliger or Selenicereus anthonyanus or othe

Post by DaveW »

Agree with Carl those new shoots are too etiolated it needs more light, they should very quickly be almost as robust as the ones they are coming from. However anguliger and anthonyanus can look similar out of flower and the acuteness of the lobes can vary on both.

http://1003gardens.blogspot.co.uk/2010/ ... rance.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://mendoncajose1.blogspot.co.uk/201 ... actus.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
ninjaneko
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Joined: Fri Feb 14, 2014 7:06 pm

Re: Epiphyllum anguliger or Selenicereus anthonyanus or othe

Post by ninjaneko »

Thank you for the responses! While these plants are right next to the window, it's north-facing and gets no direct sunlight (these are at my office, so I don't have much choice of location here - though I could take these particular ones home).
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Carl_B
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Location: Isle of Wight, UK

Re: Epiphyllum anguliger or Selenicereus anthonyanus or othe

Post by Carl_B »

Well truth be told their are at least 3 or 4 plants within Hylocereae which have this sort of "Ric-Rac" growth Epiphyllum anguliger, Epiphyllum chrysocardium, Selenicereus anthonyanus & Weberocereus imitans two of those are pretty scarce unless you actually make an effort to look for them the other two are often found in amateur collections and regularly turn up.

What is the soil composition like? it should be nice and free draining something along the lines of 3pts peat based compost to 1pts perlite. also although the plants should not be in direct sunlight they should still receive some light during the day

There is a lovely compilation of images which the hybridiser Rudolf Heßing has put together on his website which shows the many forms of Epiphyllum anguliger images 1-6 are species plants and the rest are hybrids showing how the leaf shape transfers in it's hybrids

http://www.rud-epis.de/041%20schluessel ... briden.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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greenknight
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Re: Epiphyllum anguliger or Selenicereus anthonyanus or othe

Post by greenknight »

I grew epiphytic cacti in a north-facing window - but it gets reflected light from the white wall of the house next door. Never would have worked otherwise. They also did well on an east-facing porch, where they got a little early morning sun. When the sun is high, though, it can quickly burn them.
Spence :mrgreen:
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BobbyZ
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Re: Epiphyllum anguliger or Selenicereus anthonyanus or othe

Post by BobbyZ »

I nbuse coconut coir/perlite 50:40amended with bonemeal ~ 1-2% and a dash of epsom salt to balance Ca & Mg, I also amend with bloodmeal to give some N and trace minerals. The Webercereus is readily obtanable from Don's cutting. I may be wrong but my Epiphyllum anguliger is less wide than my Webercereus. I keep my epi's on my svcreened lanai all year except when below 40 F and am starting to get buds on some hybrids. Bobby Z
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Carl_B
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Re: Epiphyllum anguliger or Selenicereus anthonyanus or othe

Post by Carl_B »

BobbyZ wrote:I nbuse coconut coir/perlite 50:40amended with bonemeal ~ 1-2% and a dash of epsom salt to balance Ca & Mg, I also amend with bloodmeal to give some N and trace minerals. The Webercereus is readily obtanable from Don's cutting. I may be wrong but my Epiphyllum anguliger is less wide than my Webercereus. I keep my epi's on my svcreened lanai all year except when below 40 F and am starting to get buds on some hybrids. Bobby Z
Sounds good Bobby my own soil mix is pinched from a friend and I've slightly amended it
  • 3 Parts Fine Coir
  • 1 Part Perlite
  • 1 Part Horticultural Grit
  • 0.1 parts Bonemeal
Although I grow my plants under glass in a slightly less favoring environment :wink: My Weberocereus imitans unfortunately rotted off this winter however my Weberocereus glaber is really taking off!
ninjaneko
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Joined: Fri Feb 14, 2014 7:06 pm

Re: Epiphyllum anguliger or Selenicereus anthonyanus or othe

Post by ninjaneko »

Thanks for all the replies! Quick update: I've moved offices so I took these plants home and placed in them in a west-facing area which gets mostly shade and some hours of direct light every day. They are going gangbusters in creating new offshoots, but the shoots are still the same thinness as you see in the pic - though longer and sprouting roots(?) of their own. I could move them to slightly shadier area, but my place (apartment) tends to have either deep shade or strong sun, so I thought this would be the best compromise.. I don't know what the soil is like - they are still in the original pot I bought them in, but seem to be doing okay.

Thanks again, I'm learning a lot!
DaveW
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Re: Epiphyllum anguliger or Selenicereus anthonyanus or othe

Post by DaveW »

Thin light green shoots mean too little light, so move them into better light until they produce stems like the basal part. Obviously new shoots will be thinner at first but should later thicken out to resemble the original part at the base, if not the light intensity is not high enough.

Most epiphytic plants produce aerial roots, that is quite normal since these both absorb moisture and nutrients running down the trunk and tether them to the trees in habitat, though some species may even scramble up rock faces with them. I have even read the myth that it is because they have not been fertilised enough they grow them, which is a load of rubbish since as said most epiphytic plants produce them to anchor themselves to their hosts and will do so whether you feed them or not, See second picture down in this link:-

http://kanak7.wordpress.com/2010/08/06/ ... ne-cactus/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The above link makes the usual mistake of non-cactophiles of calling them leaves when they are actually flattened stems. As far as I am aware flowers are never produced on leaves in the plant world, but are on these flattened stems. When you compare them with desert type cacti just think of them as having stems with two opposing ribs and that the lobes are the flattened tubercles.
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