Epiphyllum oxypetalum (Dc.) Haw.

Dutchman's pipe cactus (en)

Species

Angiosperms > Caryophyllales > Cactaceae > Epiphyllum

Characteristics

Shrubs epiphytic, freely branched, 2-6 m tall, with aerial roots. Old stems and basal extension shoots terete, to 2 m or more, woody; branches numerous, dark green, laterally flattened, leaflike, lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, 15-100 × 5-12 cm, glabrous, base cuneate, attenuate, or stalked, margin undulate to deeply crenate, apex acute to acuminate; midrib 2-6 mm wide, stout. Areoles small, spineless. Flowers nocturnal, fragrant, funnelform, 25-30 × 10-27 cm. Receptacle tube 13-18 cm, base green, 4-9 mm in diam., slightly angled, with triangular to lanceolate scales 3-10 mm. Sepaloids often recurved, pale green or pinkish red, linear to oblanceolate. Petaloids white, oblanceolate to obovate, 7-10 × 3-4.5 cm. Filaments white, 2.5-5 mm; anthers cream, 3-3.5 mm. Style white, 20-22 cm; stigmas 15-20, cream, narrowly linear, 1.6-1.8 mm. Fruit rare, purplish red, oblong, ca. 16 × 5.7 cm. Seed 2-2.5 × ca. 1.5 mm. Fl. Jun-Oct.
More
An evergreen succulent plant. It grows 2 m high. The stems are cylinder shaped. The branches are flat and notched. They are 15-40 cm long by 5-6 cm wide. They are wavy along the edge. It does not have spines. It does not have leaves. The flowers are white and like a water-lily flower. They come out at night.
Life form perennial
Growth form shrub
Growth support epiphyte
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) 0.75 - 1.0
Mature height (meter) 2.0 - 2.5
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color -
Fruiting months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

It is a tropical plant. It grows in evergreenforests in central America between 75-2,000 m above sea level. In China it grows between 1,000-1,200 m altitude in Yunnan. It suits light, sandy, well-drained soils. It is grown in an open, sunny position. It is resistant to drought but damaged by frost.
Light 4-6
Soil humidity 1-5
Soil texture 5-6
Soil acidity 2-8
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 9-11

Usage

The flower is dried and eaten in a vegetable soup.
Uses environmental use food medicinal poison
Edible flowers
Therapeutic use Longevity (unspecified)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Plants can be grown by seeds or offsets. Seeds germinate best at a temperature of 20°C and good light conditions.
Mode cuttings seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -7
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Leaf

Epiphyllum oxypetalum leaf picture by Shehadi Ramiz (cc-by-sa)
Epiphyllum oxypetalum leaf picture by Dulcinea Dulcinea (cc-by-sa)
Epiphyllum oxypetalum leaf picture by JP Corrêa Carvalho (cc-by-sa)

Flower

Epiphyllum oxypetalum flower picture by Duarte Caio (cc-by-sa)
Epiphyllum oxypetalum flower picture by Shehadi Ramiz (cc-by-sa)
Epiphyllum oxypetalum flower picture by Shehadi Ramiz (cc-by-sa)

Fruit

Epiphyllum oxypetalum fruit picture by Erasmo Silva Espinoza (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Epiphyllum oxypetalum world distribution map, present in Belize, Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Cuba, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Marshall Islands, Nicaragua, Pitcairn, Philippines, Puerto Rico, El Salvador, United States of America, and Viet Nam

Conservation status

Epiphyllum oxypetalum threat status: Least Concern

Identifiers

LSID -
WFO ID wfo-0000670203
COL ID 6G6Y8
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID 447020
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Phyllocactus latifrons Cactus oxypetalus Cereus oxypetalus Epiphyllum acuminatum Epiphyllum purpusii Epiphyllum grande Phyllocactus guyanensis Phyllocactus purpusii Phyllocactus grandis Phyllocactus acuminatus Cereus latifrons Phyllocactus oxypetalus Epiphyllum latifrons Epiphyllum oxypetalum var. purpusii Epiphyllum oxypetalum