Hattie's Cousin Rhip

Day 246: Recently, I featured Hatiora rosea in a post, and discussed the taxonomic shifts the species has undergone. Some authorities refer to it as Rhipsalidopsis or even Schlumbergera. The same debate rages over a similar group of epiphytic cacti. For no scientific reason other than dissimilar foliage to that of Hatiora, I choose to refer to these as Rhipsalidopsis. Sometimes, you just have to put your foot down with those dang taxonomists! This, therefore, is Hattie's cousin Rhip. Rhip is supposed to bloom at Easter, but he's decided to go full bore now instead. Although the species (Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri) comes in a range of warm colours from pink/lavender to peach, rose and white, this flame-red version is my favourite. It can be brought into bloom more easily than Hatiora, even if it doesn't follow the calendar.

Rhipsalidopsis

Day 224: Commercial growers seem to have settled on "Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri" as the specific epithet for this cactus, although the taxonomic community would now argue for genus Schlumbergera, having abandoned both "Hatiora," "Rhipsalis" and "Epiphyllum" as obsolete. As far as I'm concerned, I've given up trying to keep track of its nomenclatural leaps. I bought it as Rhipsalidopsis, and I'm going to stick with that since it gives me a way to distinguish Rhip from Hattie when I address them with admiration of their blossoms. Not all of my plants are distinguished in this manner. The Hoya collection contains other individuals besides Fitch and Bella, but perhaps that is because those plants have been the two which bloom regularly for me. Knob and Saturday are also members of my indoor garden, sitting among nameless companions. In any event, Rhip is a star among my troupe of performers, its bright red flowers bright and often abundant when they appear in spring. It is also called "Spring Cactus" or "Easter Cactus," although mine usually misses Easter by a good month or more. Its season coincides closely with Hattie's, sometimes overlapping, sometimes following to share or replace Hattie on the mantelshelf, a place of honour reserved for the bloomers in my home.

Rhipsalidopsis

Day 193: Whether you call Spring Cactus "Rhipsalidopsis" or "Hatiora," it is a member of the Rhipsalideae which is a lot of fun to say. I am choosing to differentiate between the two genera based on visual differences, an unscientific method which I would never dream of applying to anything but a houseplant. The foliage of this particular species (Rhipsalidopsis/Hatiora gaertneri) is much broader than that of my Hatiora rosea and looks very similar to the segments of so-called "Christmas" cacti. It comes in a range of colours: white, pink, crimson and vermilion, pretty much what you'd expect from a cactus of this type. A new aquisition, I am hoping it proves to be easier to bring into bloom.