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Epiphyllum anguliger (Lemaire) D. Don 1855

Rickrack cactus, moon cactus, queen of the night

KingdomPlantaePlants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
SubkingdomTracheobiontaVascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
DivisionMagnoliophytaFlowering plants, also known as angiosperms
ClassMagnoliopsidaDicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
SubclassCaryophyllidaeCacti, many other succulents, carnivorous plants, and leadworts
OrderCaryophyllalesIncludes cacti, carnations, amaranths, ice plants, and many carnivorous plants
FamilyCactaceaeSucculent (water-storing) plants, often spiny
GenusEpiphyllum
Speciesanguliger

About plant names...

Moon cacti are native to central and southern Mexico. The common names "moon cactus" and "queen of the night" refer are because it blooms at night (though flowers may last into the next day). Rickrack cactus refers to the unusual leaflets.

Identification: Multiple stems are up to 3′ (1 m) long. Main stems are woody, usually rounded, with branching alternate flattened "leaflets." These plants more closely resemble ferns than most cacti. Flowers are 6-7″ (15-18 cm) long × 4-5″ (10-13 cm) in diameter, with an inner white flower and an outer orange-bronze sepals. Fruits resemble gooseberries.

Epiphyllum anguliger (rickrack cactus, moon cactus, queen of the night)

From Paxton's Flower Garden, volume 1, plate 34, by John Lindley and Joseph Paxton, drawing by L. A. L. Constans, 1853.

References:

Anderson, Edward F., The Cactus Family, Timber Press, 2001, p. 287

Online References:

CactiGuide.com

FredMiranda.com (great photos!)

YouTube (a video of the flowers)

Garden.org

Phyllocactus anguliger Lemaire 1851

Phyllocactus darrahii K. Schumann 1903

Epiphyllum darrahii (K. Schumann) Britton & Rose 1913

 

Epiphyllum anguliger description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.

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Epiphyllum anguliger (rickrack cactus, moon cactus, queen of the night)

4/6/2011 · Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory & Botanic Gardens, Druid Hill Park, Baltimore, Mary­land · ≈ 1 × 1½′ (34 × 52 cm)

Epiphyllum anguliger (rickrack cactus, moon cactus, queen of the night)

4/6/2011 · Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory & Botanic Gardens, Druid Hill Park, Baltimore, Mary­land · ≈ 1 × 1½′ (34 × 52 cm)

Epiphyllum anguliger (rickrack cactus, moon cactus, queen of the night)

4/6/2011 · Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory & Botanic Gardens, Druid Hill Park, Baltimore, Mary­land · ≈ 12 × 8″ (31 × 20 cm)