Autor: Britton & Rose
• ETYMOLOGY
“False Rhipsalis”, because of the superficial resemblance with the genus Rhipsalis, but Pseudorhipsalis would rather be related to Dlsocactus.
• DESCRIPTION
A genus of bushy to shrubby plants, usually epiphytic, occasionally lithophytic, erect, then arching. Stems first cylindrical, then flattened (phylloclades), crenulate or not. The young areoles are often citiate, naked when mature. Spines absent.
Flowers diurnal, rather small, solitary, appearing at the base of areoles, shortly funnel-shaped to rotate, with a short tube, white to yellowish white, greenish, or pinkish, more rarely bluish (P. amazуnica), supposedly pollinated by bees, and hummingbirds in P. amazуnica although the flowers of the latter open at night. Fruits spherical berry-like to eggshaped, hairless, whitish or pink to pale magenta when ripe, often tinged with purple. Seeds pear-shaped, slightly pitted or tuberculate, black or dark brown.
• HABITAT
The genus Pseudorhipsalis is extremely widespread in tropical areas of Central and South America as well as part of the Caribbean islands, and grows epiphytically in trees, in deciduous dry forests, also in rainforests, volcanic regions, from sea level up to 1500 m in altitude.
• DISTRIBUTION
Belize, Bolivia, Brazil (Acre, Roraima), Colombia (Antioquia, Bolivar, Choco, Cordoba, Cundinamarca, Magdalena, Quindio, Santander), Costa Rica (Alajuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia, Limon, Puntarenas, San Jose), El Salvador, Ecuador, Guatemala (Alta Verapaz, Peten), Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico (Chiapas, Jalisco, Nayarit, Tabasco), Nicaragua, Panama (Cocle, Colon, Darien, Panama), Peru (Amazonas, Huanuco, Loreto, Madre de Dios, San Martin, Ucayali), Dominican Republic, Venezuela (Apure, Aragua, Carabobo, Miranda, Zulia).
Currently 6 recognised species:
– Pseudorhipsalis acuminata Cufodontis 1933
– Pseudorhipsalis alata (Swartz) Britton & Rose 1923
– Pseudorhipsalis amazуnica* (Schumann) Ralf Bauer 2003
– Pseudorhipsalis himantoclada (Roland-Gosselin) Britton & Rose 1923
– Pseudorhipsalis lankesteri (Kimnach) Barthlott 1991
– Pseudorhipsalis ramulosa (Salm-Dyck) Barthlott 1991
References: "TAXONOMY of the CACTACEAE" - ISBN 978-84-617-3692-8 (Vol. 2)