Species · genus Rhipsalis · Cactaceae

Mistletoe Cactus

Rhipsalis baccifera (J.S.Muell.) Stearn

Growth habit

shrub

Native range

Bahamas, Cayman Is., Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti

Reference · R. baccifera

Cultivars of R. baccifera

The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.

No named cultivars catalogued under R. baccifera yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.

Guide

The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.

Rhipsalis baccifera is an epiphytic forest cactus from Caribbean tropical woodland, growing on tree branches rather than in arid ground, so it drains fast and wants airflow with steady humidity. Give it bright indirect light, not direct sun, and water when the top inch of its gritty, free-draining mix has dried out. It holds water in its trailing stems and rots if left sitting wet, so err toward letting it approach dry between waterings.

Care recipe

The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.

Care notes are early — not yet verified

Light: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Water: ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 7-14d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Bright, indirect

Water

≈ every 14 days

Humidity

High

Temperature

13–27 °C

Soil mix

Loose, fast-draining cactus or epiphyte mix

Propagation

Stem-segment cuttings

Fertilizing

Diluted cactus feed monthly in the growing season

Growth rate

Moderate

Flowering

Small flowers followed by berries in good light

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Not yet documented

This is where toxicity lives — every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.

Reference images

Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.

No reference gallery yet

A few clear photos — habit, a mature leaf, a flower if it blooms — would give this page its eyes.

Add images

Sources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 7-14d) · ai:claude-fable-5

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Mistletoe Cactus yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — is exactly what keeps this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.