Xerophyte

Description

Rhipsalis burchellii is a much-branched perennial epiphytic plant from Brazil forming whorls of thread-like, delicate hanging branches. The cream-coloured flowers, followed by pink berries, hang loosely at branches' tips.

Note

It is difficult to distinguish from the widespread and common orange-fruited Rhipsalis campos-portoana, if fruit colour details are lacking.

Flowers

Subterminal, campanulate, often numerous, 10 to 15 mm long whitish to creamy.

Stem

Cylindrical, smooth, very weak, slender, much branched and hardly succulent. The growth is determinate and the branching usually dichotomous. Primary branches to 60 cm long, terminal branch-segments 4 to 10 cm long, 1-2 mm in diameter, light green to purplish.

Fruits

Turbinate, pale pink, rose-coloured, brilliant reddish magenta or purplish magenta.

Areoles

Stem areoles, wooly, bristles absent. Apical composite flowering areoles at segments' tips.