Epiphyllum is commonly known
as Epicactus, Epiphytic cactus or orchid cactus, which refers to the numerous
hybrids of Epiphyllum crossed with other closely
related genera. Epicactus plants have been popular for over
100 years. Hybridizers around the world, particularly those
in Europe and America, have sought repeatedly to produce new
and exotic biotypes, resulting in numerous cultivars of
almost any color imaginable. Nowhere else in the Cactus
family has such progress been made to achieve huge flowers in
so many brilliant colors- over 10,000 named hybrids exist.
All epicacti are essentially
houseplants. Most of them are easy to grow in the home
environment. They can be left alone to grow in a hanging
basket, or staked on a trellis or some other supports. All
cultivars accept the same conditions in cultivation. Very
good light but not full sun, supports continuing good growth.
Since they do best when their roots are crowded, pot them in
small containers. Let them dry out between watering. In
winter, rest plants and keep the soil just barely moist. If
possible, keep epicactus in an unheated, but not freezing
(temperature about 50 F), places in the house. Flowers last from one
to five days, and they are forthcoming successively
from March to late June or July.
After flowers wilting, the
fruit is developed (result from self or cross pollination).
When the fruit is ripe, the seeds can be used to produce new
plants. But the most popular propagation of Epiphyllum is "leaf" cutting. The leaf can be cut, let it dry for several
day, then grow in a well-aerated potting soil. For best
results, the cuttings are dipped into a rooting hormone/fungicide (like Rootone) before planting.
The registration and establishment the names
and diagnostic descriptions of epiphytic cacti hybrids was organized by The
Epiphyllum Society of America.
