Orchid Cactus Epiphyllum
Show it off in a hanging basket and allow the long stems to cascade over the pot.
Orchid cactus epiphyllum. It comes from the greek words epi which means on or upon and phyllon meaning leaf because early botanists considered that the flower came from a leaf which are actually stems. Upon the leaf in greek is a genus of 19 species of epiphytic plants in the cactus family cactaceae native to central americacommon names for these species include climbing cacti orchid cacti and leaf cacti though the latter also refers to the genus pereskia. The epiphyllum cactus is a native brazilian plant that grows in the sides and forks of trees in the canopies of the rain forests. Oxypetalum rarely blooms and only at night and its flowers wilt before dawn.
There are many types of epiphyllum but the majority are epiphytic and live in trees while a few species are terrestrial. Theyll grow to 2 ft 60 cm long and about 2 in 5 cm wide. The plant is also known as orchid cactus because of the flowers which resemble some orchid species. Commonly called orchid cactus they produce absolutely stunning flowers.
Epiphyllum p f l em. Though it is sometimes referred to as a night blooming cereus it is not closely related to any of the species in the tribe cereeae such as. They are not cold hardy and generally can be found only as houseplants or greenhouse specimens. Orchid cactus stems are broad and flat with serrated edges.
The genus name epiphyllum means upon the leaves. Growing an epiphyllum cactus outside of its native habitat is fairly simple but. Epiphyllum are the gems of the cactus world. Big cup shaped blooms in gorgeous colors make orchid cactus a joy to grow.
Epiphytic plants grow on other plants not in a parasitic fashion but as hosts. The stems are broad and flat 15 cm broad 35 mm thick usually with lobed edges. Epiphyllum are epiphytic cacti as their name suggests. Epiphyllum oxypetalum dutchmans pipe cactus or princess of the night queen of the night is a species of cactus and one of the most cultivated species in its genus.