''Epiphyllum'' (; "upon the leaf" in

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

) is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

epiphytic An epiphyte is a plant or plant-like organism that grows on the surface of another plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphyt ...

plant Plants are the eukaryotes that form the Kingdom (biology), kingdom Plantae; they are predominantly Photosynthesis, photosynthetic. This means that they obtain their energy from sunlight, using chloroplasts derived from endosymbiosis with c ...

s in the

cactus A cactus (: cacti, cactuses, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae (), a family of the order Caryophyllales comprising about 127 genera with some 1,750 known species. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, ...

family (Cactaceae), native to

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

and South America. Common names for these species include climbing cacti, orchid cacti and leaf cacti, though the latter also refers to the genus '' Pereskia''.

Description

The stems are broad and flat, 1–5 cm broad, 3–5 mm thick, usually with lobed edges. The flowers themselves are large, with diameters ranging from 8 to 16 cm, white through red, with numerous petals. These flowers have notably short, nocturnal antheses, blooming only at night, and wilting at dawn. The

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...

is edible, very similar to the

pitaya Pitaya () or pitahaya () (common names strawberry pear or dragon fruit) is the fruit of several cactus species indigenous to the region of southern Mexico and along the Pacific coasts of Guatemala, Costa Rica, and El Salvador. Pitaya is cult ...

fruit from the closely related genus ''

Hylocereus ''Hylocereus'' is a former genus of epiphytic cacti, often referred to as night-blooming cactus (though the term is also used for many other cacti). Several species previously placed in the genus have large edible fruits, which are known as pitay ...

'', though not so large, being only 3–4 cm long. The broad-leaved epiphyllum (''

Epiphyllum oxypetalum ''Epiphyllum oxypetalum'', the Dutchman's pipe cactus, princess of the night or queen of the night, is a species of cactus with a native range from Mexico to Nicaragua. It blooms nocturnally, and its flowers wilt before dawn. Though it is somet ...

'') is particularly well known species that bears large, strongly fragrant flowers.

Taxonomy

It was published by

Adrian Hardy Haworth Adrian Hardy Haworth (19 April 1767, in Kingston upon Hull, Hull – 24 August 1833, in Chelsea, London, Chelsea) was an England, English entomologist, botanist and carcinologist. Family The younger son of Benjamin Haworth, of Haworth Hall and ...

in 1812.Haworth, Adrian Hardy. (1812). Synopsis plantarum succulentarum :cum descriptionibus, synonymis, locis, observationibus anglicanis, culturaque (p. 197). Typis R. Taylor et Socii. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/10003997Missouri Botanical Garden. (n.d.-j). ''Epiphyllum'' Haw. Tropicos. Retrieved January 27, 2025, from https://www.tropicos.org/name/40004308 The type species is ''Epiphyllum phyllanthus'' ''Epiphyllum'' Haw. (n.d.). International Plant Names Index. Retrieved January 27, 2025, from https://www.ipni.org/n/30002688-2

Species

, ''

Plants of the World Online Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online taxonomic database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. History Following the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew launched Plants of the World Online i ...

'' accepts 10 species:

Formerly placed here

*''

Disocactus crenatus ''Disocactus crenatus'', commonly known as the crenate orchid cactus, is a species of cactus cultivated for its large flowers. It is a critical parent plant in creating epiphyllum hybrids commonly cultivated worldwide. Description ''D. crenatu ...

'' (Lindl.) M.Á.Cruz & S.Arias (as ''Epiphyllum crenatum'' (Lindl.) G.Don) *'' Disocactus lepidocarpus'' (F.A.C.Weber) M.Á.Cruz & S.Arias (as ''Epiphyllum lepidocarpum'' (F.A.C.Weber) Britton & Rose) *''

Disocactus phyllanthoides ''Disocactus phyllanthoides'', the nopalxochitl or German empress, is a species of flowering plant in the cactus family (biology), family Cactaceae. It is commonly grown as an ornamental houseplant. It is one of the three major species involved ...

'' (DC.) Barthlott (as ''E. phyllanthoides'' (DC.) Sweet)

Cultivation

The plants known as

epiphyllum hybrid Epiphyllum hybrids, epiphyllums, epicacti, or just epis, also known as orchid cacti, which are widely grown for their flowers, are artificial hybrids derived primarily from species of the genus ''Disocactus''. These ''Disocactus'' species are not ...

s, epiphyllums or just epis, which are widely grown for their flowers, are artificial hybrids of species within the tribe

Hylocereeae The Hylocereeae are a tribe of cacti. Most are found in the tropical forests of Central and northern South America, and are climbers or epiphytes, unlike most cacti. The tribe includes between six and eight genera in different circumscriptio ...

, particularly species of ''

Disocactus ''Disocactus'' is a genus of epiphyte, epiphytic cactus, cacti in the tribe Hylocereeae native plant, found in Central America, the Caribbean and northern South America. It should not be confused with ''Discocactus'', which is a different genus. ...

''. In spite of the common name, the involvement of ''Epiphyllum'' species as parents of ''Epiphyllum'' hybrids is unconfirmed.

References

External links

Epi Species (GotEpis.com)
a comprehensive list of genera of epiphytic cacti. {{Taxonbar, from=Q310964 Night-blooming plants Epiphytes Cactoideae genera