Rhipsalideae

Rhipsalideae
Rhipsalis cereuscula
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Cactaceae
Subfamily: Cactoideae
Tribe: Rhipsalideae
DC.[1]
Genera

See text.

The Rhipsalideae are a small tribe of cacti, comprising four or five genera (and around 60 species). They grow on trees (epiphytes) or on rocks (lithophytes), where they either hang down or form creeping or upright shrubs. Their flowers open in the day and remain open at night; they may be either radially symmetrical (regular) or bilaterally symmetrical (zygomorphic). The fruits are berry-like, fleshy with smallish seeds.[2]

They are found mainly in the east of South America, with a centre of diversity in Bolivia,[3] but some species occur in Central America and North America; one species, Rhipsalis baccifera, also occurs in the Old World.[2]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Reve11 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Anderson 2001, p. 102
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference HogaDaws12 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).