Understanding a plant's native environment is extremely beneficial when it comes to taking care of it. Let's explore Rhipsalis' natural habitat -
Rhipsalis is native to the tropical rainforests of South America & Africa. What do we know about rainforests?
- Warm temperatures
- The temperature in the rainforest rarely falls below 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
- There is a significant amount of rain.
- Lots of rain leads to heavy humidity.
- Therefore, plants that live in the rainforest thrive in consistently moist soil & high humidity.
- Rainforests are composed of mostly trees.
- Tall trees create a canopy, which blocks the sun for the plants growing underneath.
- Therefore, plants that live under the canopy thrive in mostly shade & will be damaged by direct sunlight.
Of course this is a very simple breakdown of Rhipsalis' relationship to the rainforest, however, understanding this basic explanation can make caring for your plants easier!
SUMMARY OF BASIC NEEDS
Light
- Indoors: Bright - moderate indirect sunlight
- Outdoors: Mostly shade with morning sunlight
Water
- Keep soil lightly & evenly moist
- Avoid stagnant water!
- Mist regularly to emulate humidity or keep in a naturally humid space in your home, such as the kitchen or bathroom
- Water when top 1" of soil is dry
Soil
- Well draining
- Make sure container has a drainage hole
EPIPHYTIC PLANT
Another word you may keep hearing as it relates to Rhipsalis, as well as many other jungle succulents, is the descriptive classification of "epiphytic" or "epiphyte." Understanding what this means can be difficult when given the definition on its own, so we have written up a basic explanation of what it means to be an epiphyte thatβs (hopefully) a little easier to understand β¦
As we all learned in grade school science class - plants require sunlight in order to produce food through a process called photosynthesis. & as we just discussed, in the tropical rainforest, plants on the ground have a very hard time receiving even the smallest amount of sunlight. In order to compete for light, these ground-level plants began to leave the bottom level of the rainforest & started climbing trees to find nooks along the tree trunk where they could comfortably live & where the sun could more easily reach. However, once the plant has found its ideal space in the tree, it has left the soil - its main source of water & nutrients - behind. To survive, these plants started to take in water & nutrients through their foliage, as well as their roots. Their roots were now responsible for obtaining these life sustaining elements from the small piles of organic matter found in the nooks they were residing in & their foliage could obtain them from the humidity, rain, & elements in the air. As they did so, these plants had successfully evolved into epiphytic plants!
By definition an epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water or from debris accumulating around it.
FLOWERS
One of the distinguishing factors of each Rhipsalis variety is the color & size of their flower, as well as where it blooms on the stem. These flowers are small, & for that reason they are considered "insignificant" on some plant sites. However! Seeing your plant bloom can be incredibly gratifying for the Rhipsalis lover.
Check out the bloom calendar to find out when this specific variety should expect flowers.
Pfeiffera, Lepismium, Hatiora, Pseudorhipsalis
The Rhipsalidae tribe includes four genera of epiphytic cacti: Rhipsalis, Lepismium, Hatiora, & Schlumbergera. Pfeiffera, on the other hand, is a synonym of Rhipsalis. Pseudorhipsalis is a genus of cacti that includes Discocactus. These are plants that look like Rhipsalis, however, they are classified under a different genra.
Ultimately, these names are casually interchanged when it comes to identifying Rhipsalis, though scientifically they have their own classifications.
