Xerophyte

Description

Rhipsalis oblonga is a semierect to pendent, epiphytic or lithophytic shrubs, 2.50 m long, with main stems terete at base becoming flattened above and branching apical or lateral. It is a very free-flowering species with pinkish-white fruits.

Similar Species

Rhipsalis oblonga is is very closely related to Rhipsalis crispata, and also very similar to Rhipsalis goebeliana from Bolivia and to Rhipsalis occidentalis from northern Peru, southern Ecuador and Suriname. It is sometimes encountered in cultivation under the inadequately typified name, Rhipsalis rhombea.

Flowers

1-2 per areole, borne along the sides of the branches, solitary at the areoles, rotate, yellowish white, to 12-18 mm long. Sepaloid tepals 3-4, interior petaloid tepals 5, reflexed, greenish yellow rarely with reddish apex. Stigma (3-) 4-5, up to 3 mm long. Stamens whitish numerous.Blooming season It flowers during the rainy season

Stem

Dimorphic. Main branches terete below, three-angled, or winged more or less flattened above up to 20 cm long and 2 cm across, freely emitting aerial roots. Ultimate branches narrowly-oblong, very thin, flattened, 5-9(-15) cm long, 3-6 cm cm broad, ca.1 mm thick away from midrib, cuneate to truncate at base, truncate at apex, with prominent veins, dark to pale green or olive-yellow green, sometimes purplish, margins wavy to plane, crenate and lobed.

Fruits

Globular to short-oblong, 3-7 long, 4-7 mmin diameter, greenish translucent, rose pink at apex to nearly white at maturity, naked, crowned by the withered perianth.

Areoles

Between the indentation, 2-4 mm from branch segment margin, 1.4-3.3 cm apart, first of segment 3-5.5 cm distant from segment base; when sterile 1-2.5 mm diam, with vestigial hairs and scales; when fertile woolly, 1-2.5 mm on diameter, with 1 acicular scale, scarce marginal hairs and sometimes bearing 1 or more small bristly spines after flowering