Helen Scarth wrote:


I asked for and was given some cuttings from a plant at an antique
mall a couple of years ago. The mother plant looked vaguely like an
epiphyllum (orchid cactus) and I had hopes for some stunning flowers
from this one. The cuttings are doing well and the plant is
flourishing but no flowers as yet.

Pictures are at:

http://www.treadles.ca/website/plant/plant.html

Can anyone tell me what it is so I can find out how to care for it and
what kind of blooms, if any, to expect?

Yes its are fairly common cactus.. They are trailers/climbers and may
grow ariel roots in the right conditions.. The ones I grow here in the
UK that look like that flower in early summer (here anyway) with large
red or pink sticky flowers. We put them out in the summer where they do
much better. In the winter they are kept dry and cool, and well
ventilated, but most definatly frost FREE!..

I like to hang some in a basket under the trees in the summer, to
replicate the 'forest' conditions that some of them grow in in the
wild.. They do EXTREMLY healthily in these conditions..

Very easy to propagate.. take off a 'segment' dry for a few days then
pot up in gritty mix.. In the Canary Isles hotels use a related species
to cover walls, rather like we might use a vine;-)

Bascially they will do OK on neglect and abuse;-) Don;t over cosset or
feed them much or they will grow to 'soft!'

See http://tinyurl.com/lj34
http://tinyurl.com/lj37
&
http://tinyurl.com/lj3d


to see both them growing in my glasshouse and a canariy isles climbeing
variety on a windowsil (look close for the thin white ariel roots..)
and a flower in the conservatory (not very good pic.. I took it with a
'keyring' cam!-)
//
Jim