Rhipsalis burchelli
6” MISTLETOE CACTUS/JUNGLE CACTUS
Rhipsalis burchellii
USDA Zones 10a-11b
Rhipsalis burchellii is one of the thinner stemmed varieties of Rhipsalis. Those thinner stems grow close together to form a thick, draping mat that thrives in a hanging basket. If you’re looking for a thin Rhipsalis with a dense growth pattern, opposed to Rhipsalis campos portoana (thin stems, sporadic & sparse growth pattern), then burchellii is the one for you! Also check out our Rhipsalis ‘Old Mans Beard’ listing, which has a similar heavy & condensed look.
It’s delicate branches can reach up to 5’ long! Lovely, creamy white flowers blossom along the stems, eventually making way for pink fruits!
You will receive a bare root plant & empty 6” hanging basket for you to plant your Rhipsalis in upon arrival.
Thank you for shopping with Horticult! Please remember that unless otherwise stated in the description area of your plant's listing, all of our plants are shipped bare root without a pot. All plants sold in a hanging basket will include a pot.
Please remember the shipping of live plants can be tricky. We prefer to ship on Monday-Wednesday to minimize the time your new plant baby will spend in the box! We’ll stay in touch & keep you updated!
We will ship as economically as possible. If we are able to fit your order in less boxes than our site calculates, we will refund the extra shipping costs.
Finally, with what’s happening right now in the world the post office has never been busier. While most of our orders are shipped without a problem, we want to assure you we are prepared to rectify any issue that may occur. Please be patient & we will do everything we can to make sure you are happy with your purchase!
Stay safe everyone & thank you again for shopping with Horticult 💚
Contact Horticult within 5 days of order reception.
Ship items back within 30 days of delivery.
Please contact us if you have any problems with your order. Cancellations are up for review & will be determined depending on the individual case. Please contact us ASAP.
Exchanges are available.
See “Refunds & Return Policy” page for more information.
If the temperature will be below freezing in the destination city on any day from that of estimated reception to a few days later (to account for a USPS shipping delay) & your plant is not cold hardy be sure to buy a heat pack for the box!
See FAQ's page for more information.
All of your plants will be shipped bare root. We begin by removing excess soil & wrapping the roots/bit of leftover soil in a damp paper towel to ensure the roots don’t dry out on their journey. Next, we wrap the damp towel with plastic wrap. After your soil & roots are properly sealed, we wrap your plant in paper. Depending on how fragile the plant is, we may wrap it again in foam insulation or bubble wrap to ensure the plant won’t break. Once the plants have been wrapped, they are taped down into their box to keep them from moving around. Extra stuffing, receipts, heat packs, & optional gift messages are then added & VOILA! 💚
WHY RHIPSALIS MAKE PHENOMENAL HOUSE PLANTS
- Shade succulent;
- low maintenance, drought tolerant, little watering;
- takes partial to full shade,
- exponentially increases the number of places in your home Rhipsalis will thrive
- 50+ varieties; great for collecting;
- each have drastically different growth habits
- trailing patterns
- flower color & shape
- seed pod color
- each have drastically different growth habits
- Unique
- until recently, not a popular house plant
RHIPSALIS MAINTENANCE IS EASY!
- Plant in a pot with a drainage hole & well drained soil.
- Water thoroughly once every 1.5 - 2 weeks (or when top soil is dry 1-2" down). Water until you can see liquid fall through your pot’s drainage hole.
- Place in area with partial shade to full shade.BREAK IT DOWN NOW! --
PLANTING YOUR RHIPSALIS
In order for your Rhipsalis to thrive, you will need to plant in a pot with a drainage hole & well drained soil. Here at Horticult, we start our containers with approximately 1” of PermaTill (a small, expanded slate gravel; depending on size of container). If you don’t have PermaTill, any type of small, light weight pebble will work! Fill the rest of the pot or hanging basket with regular potting soil. Once you’ve planted your succulent, you may then use the same gravel you used at the bottom of the pot to spread around the top of the pot for a decorative element. This top gravel will also weigh down the soil, so when you water your plants the soil will not spill over the top. With that being said, the PermaTill is not terribly necessary & if you plant your Rhipsalis solely in a well drained potting mix it should do well.Rhipsalis works best in a hanging basket or in a pot on a plant stand. In their natural state you can find them in tropical regions growing out of trees where they pour from branch nooks or located on rock faces falling down crevasses. The stems grow & look their best when hanging. If the stem touches any organic matter (soil, etc.) it will emit roots at that spot. These roots are healthy for the plant, but if you already have an established root system & find them more of an eye sore than beneficial you can clip them off with sharp scissors. If you are interested in propagation you can use this method before you clip the stems for cuttings to ensure root stimulation & growth.
WATERING
Rhipsalis is a succulent. By definition, succulents are plants that store water in their leaves. The water gets to the leaves through the roots. This is why it’s important to saturate your plant when watering. The water must get to the roots, so the roots can suck up the water to the leaves! With that being said, it is extremely important your soil be allowed to dry. If a succulent’s roots are sitting in standing water it will first bring too much water to the leaves, which will cause them to become soggy & fall off, & then cause root rot, eventually leading to your plant’s demise! While this sounds awful & is ultimately detrimental, it is easily avoided! Wait until your soil is bone dry before watering again :) Easy peezy!LIGHT
Unlike most succulents, Rhipsalis thrives in partial to full shade. As previously stated, in it's natural state they can be found hanging from trees; pouring out of branch nooks & tree crotches. In these areas Rhipsalis are shaded by the tree tops for most of the day. As a house plant, Rhipsalis enjoys a simulation of it's natural habitat, thus partial to full shade for most of the day is crucial. All things considered, light morning sun will not hurt your Rhipsalis. Some of the larger, more broad stemmed varieties (R. pachyptera or R. elliptica) can take an increased amount of sunlight because of their shape.Plants that flourish in shade are easier to place inside your home. You can hang your Rhipsalis deep inside a room with a bright window, in east or west facing windows that don't receive daily full sun, or rooms that receive little to no sunlight at all. Until you have to bring your sun succulents inside for the winter, the shade aspect of Rhipsalis is a drastically understated benefit.
TEMPERATURE
If kept outside, due to the fact Rhipsalis are tropical plants they will need to be brought inside when the temperature drops.**ALL RHIPSALIS VARIETIES LISTED IN HORTICULT'S SHOP ARE LABELED WITH TITLES GIVEN BY THE ORIGINAL DISTRIBUTOR TO THE PARENT PLANT ORIGINALLY USED FOR PROPAGATION.
We have named our Rhipsalis varieties according to the tags or names classified by the distributors we purchased the parent plant(s) from. In light of the fact that Rhipsalis has over 50 varieties that are sometimes extremely similar, the variety names are commonly misused & unfortunately extremely difficult for us to verify. Please rely on the pictures posted in the listing, as well as the name, if looking for specific varieties.- Shade succulent;
