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Rhipsalis
Rhipsalis ( RIP-suh-lis) is a genus of epiphytic flowering plants in the cactus family, typically known as mistletoe cacti. They are found in parts of Central America, the Caribbean and northern regions of South America. One species, Rhipsalis baccifera also inhabits locations in Africa and Asia, and is the only cactus species naturally occurring in the Old World. This is the largest and most widely distributed genus of epiphytic cacti (those which live on other plants without damaging them).
The scientific name Rhipsalis derives from the Ancient Greek term for wickerwork, referring to the plants' many entangled or intertwined branches.
40 branches of this genus, most-observed first
Mistletoe Cactus
speciesRhipsalis baccifera
Rhipsalis teres
speciesRhipsalis teres
Rhipsalis floccosa
speciesRhipsalis floccosa
Rhipsalis pachyptera
speciesRhipsalis pachyptera
Rice cactus
speciesRhipsalis cereuscula
Rhipsalis lindbergiana
speciesRhipsalis lindbergiana
Chain Cactus
speciesRhipsalis paradoxa
Rhipsalis micrantha
speciesRhipsalis micrantha
Rhipsalis grandiflora
speciesRhipsalis grandiflora
Rhipsalis pilocarpa
speciesRhipsalis pilocarpa
Rhipsalis elliptica
speciesRhipsalis elliptica
Rhipsalis shaferi
speciesRhipsalis shaferi
Rhipsalis russellii
speciesRhipsalis russellii
Rhipsalis mesembryanthoides
speciesRhipsalis mesembryanthoides
Rhipsalis neves-armondii
speciesRhipsalis neves-armondii
Rhipsalis puniceodiscus
speciesRhipsalis puniceodiscus
Rhipsalis crispata
speciesRhipsalis crispata
Rhipsalis trigona
speciesRhipsalis trigona
Rhipsalis dissimilis
speciesRhipsalis dissimilis
Rhipsalis campos-portoana
speciesRhipsalis campos-portoana
Rhipsalis clavata
speciesRhipsalis clavata
Rhipsalis ewaldiana
speciesRhipsalis ewaldiana
Rhipsalis pacheco-leonis
speciesRhipsalis pacheco-leonis
Rhipsalis oblonga
speciesRhipsalis oblonga
Rhipsalis triangularis
speciesRhipsalis triangularis
Rhipsalis burchellii
speciesRhipsalis burchellii
Rhipsalis pentaptera
speciesRhipsalis pentaptera
Rhipsalis cereoides
speciesRhipsalis cereoides
Rhipsalis juengeri
speciesRhipsalis juengeri
Rhipsalis cuneata
speciesRhipsalis cuneata
Rhipsalis pulchra
speciesRhipsalis pulchra
Rhipsalis flagelliformis
speciesRhipsalis flagelliformis
Rhipsalis occidentalis
speciesRhipsalis occidentalis
Rhipsalis agudoensis
speciesRhipsalis agudoensis
Rhipsalis hileiabaiana
speciesRhipsalis hileiabaiana
Rhipsalis olivifera
speciesRhipsalis olivifera
Rhipsalis hoelleri
speciesRhipsalis hoelleri
Rhipsalis ormindoi
speciesRhipsalis ormindoi
Rhipsalis sulcata
speciesRhipsalis sulcata
Rhipsalis aurea
speciesRhipsalis aurea
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
—
geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Rhipsalis in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 119898.