Schlumbergera kautskyi

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Schlumbergera kautskyi
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Cactaceae
Subfamily: Cactoideae
Genus: Schlumbergera
Species:
S. kautskyi
Binomial name
Schlumbergera kautskyi
(Horobin & McMillan) N.P.Taylor

Schlumbergera kautskyi is a species of plant in the family Cactaceae. It is endemic to a small area of the coastal mountains of south-eastern Brazil where its natural habitat is rocky areas. It is threatened by habitat loss. It is in the same genus as the popular houseplant known as Christmas cactus or Thanksgiving cactus.

Contents

Description

Schlumbergera kautskyi resembles other species of the genus Schlumbergera in that it has leafless green stems which act as photosynthetic organs. The stems (cladodes) are composed of strongly flattened segments, which have "teeth" of varying shapes along their edges and at the ends, which are "cut off" (truncated) rather than pointed. Individual segments, which are very variable, are usually 2.2–3.5 cm (0.9–1.4 in) long by 1.4–1.8 cm (0.6–0.7 in) wide (although lengths of up to 4 cm (1.6 in) and widths up to 2.5 cm (1.0 in) are known). [2] [3]

Special structures characteristic of cacti, called "areoles", occur at the end of the segments. The areoles, which have brown wool and short bristles, are where the flower buds appear. The flowers are usually held slightly above the horizontal with the higher side different from the lower side (zygomorphic, specifically bilaterally symmetrical). They are purple in colour, about 5 cm (2.0 in) long by 2.7 cm (1.1 in) across. [2] [3]

When ripe, the four-angled fruit is yellow-green with red tones, about 2.5 cm (1.0 in) long by 1.9 cm (0.7 in) wide, and contains about 150 dark brown or black seeds, each about with a diameter of about 1 mm (0.04 in). [2]

Taxonomy

S. kautskyi was the last species of the genus Schlumbergera to be given a scientific name. In 1991, Horobin and McMillan described it as a subspecies of S. truncata, S. truncata ssp. kautsky; in the same year N.P. Taylor raised it to a full species. The specific epithet relates to the collector whose surname was Kautsky. [4] A 2011 molecular phylogenetic study confirmed its status as a full species within the genus. [5]

Distribution and habitat

S. kautskyi occurs only in a small area, estimated in 2002 to be less than 500 km2 (190 sq mi), [1] of the coastal mountains of south-east Brazil, in the state of Espírito Santo, located in the southernmost part of the tropics. Sites where it has been found include Pico da Pedra Azul. Plants grow at altitudes of 900–1,300 metres (3,000–4,300 ft). Because of their height and proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, the coastal mountains produce high altitude moist forests – warm moist air is forced upwards into higher, colder locations where it condenses. [2] Schlumbergera kautskyi grows either on rocks (epilithic) [3] or more rarely on trees (epiphytic). [1] It is listed as "endangered" in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in view of the limited area in which it occurs and the threat of residential development. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cactus</span> Family of mostly succulent plants, adapted to dry environments

A cactus is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1,750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word cactus derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Greek word κάκτος (káktos), a name originally used by Theophrastus for a spiny plant whose identity is now not certain. Cacti occur in a wide range of shapes and sizes. They are native to the Americas, ranging from Patagonia in the south to parts of western Canada in the north, with the exception of Rhipsalis baccifera, which is also found in Africa and Sri Lanka. Cacti are adapted to live in very dry environments, including the Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on Earth. Because of this, cacti show many adaptations to conserve water. For example, almost all cacti are succulents, meaning they have thickened, fleshy parts adapted to store water. Unlike many other succulents, the stem is the only part of most cacti where this vital process takes place. Most species of cacti have lost true leaves, retaining only spines, which are highly modified leaves. As well as defending against herbivores, spines help prevent water loss by reducing air flow close to the cactus and providing some shade. In the absence of true leaves, cacti's enlarged stems carry out photosynthesis.

<i>Schlumbergera truncata</i> Species of cactus

Schlumbergera truncata, the false Christmas cactus, is a species of plant in the family Cactaceae. It is endemic to a small area of the coastal mountains of south-eastern Brazil where its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist forests. It is the parent or one of the parents of the houseplants called Christmas cactus, Thanksgiving cactus or zygocactus, among other names.

<i>Schlumbergera</i> Genus of plants (cacti)

Schlumbergera is a small genus of cacti with six to nine species found in the coastal mountains of south-eastern Brazil. These plants grow on trees or rocks in habitats that are generally shady with high humidity, and can be quite different in appearance from their desert-dwelling cousins. Most species of Schlumbergera have stems which resemble leaf-like pads joined one to the other and flowers which appear from areoles at the joints and tips of the stems. Two species have cylindrical stems more similar to other cacti.

<i>Thelocactus</i> Genus of cacti

Thelocactus is a genus of flowering plants in the cactus family Cactaceae. Members of the genus are native to the arid lands of Central and Northern Mexico.

<i>Rhipsalis</i> Genus of cacti

Rhipsalis is a genus of epiphytic flowering plants in the cactus family, typically known as mistletoe cacti. They are found in parts of Central America, the Caribbean and northern regions of South America. They also inhabit isolated locations in Africa and Asia, and are the only cactus group naturally occurring in the Old World. This is the largest and most widely distributed genus of epiphytic cacti.

<i>Hatiora</i> Genus of flowering plants in the cactus family Cactaceae

Hatiora is a small genus of epiphytic cacti which belongs to the tribe Rhipsalideae within the subfamily Cactoideae of the Cactaceae. Recent taxonomic studies have led to the three species formerly placed in subgenus Rhipsalidopsis being removed from the genus, including the well known and widely cultivated ornamental plants known as Easter cactus or Whitsun cactus.

<i>Brasiliopuntia</i> Genus of plants

Brasiliopuntia is a genus in the cactus family, Cactaceae. It contains only one species, Brasiliopuntia brasiliensis.

<i>Rhodocactus bahiensis</i> Species of cactus

Rhodocactus bahiensis is a species of tree-like cactus that is endemic to the Brazilian state of Bahia. First described as Pereskia bahiensis, it was transferred to Rhodocactus in 2016. Like all species in the genus Rhodocactus, and unlike most cacti, it has persistent leaves. In its native locality, it is used to form hedges.

<i>Rhodocactus stenanthus</i> Species of cactus

Rhodocactus stenanthus is a species of cactus that is endemic to Brazil. First described as Pereskia stenantha, it was transferred to Rhodocactus in 2016. Like all species in the genus Rhodocactus, and unlike most cacti, it has persistent leaves. In its native locality, it is sometimes used in hedges.

<i>Rhipsalis pilocarpa</i> Species of cactus

Rhipsalis pilocarpa, the hairy-fruited wickerware cactus, is a species of flowering plant in the cactus family that is endemic to Brazil. Scarce in the wild, it is known only in a small number of isolated locations. Its status is listed as "vulnerable" by the IUCN Red List. However, it is cultivated as an ornamental houseplant and as such has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

<i>Schlumbergera microsphaerica</i> Species of cactus

Schlumbergera microsphaerica is a species of plant in the family Cactaceae. It is endemic to a limited area of the coastal mountains of south-eastern Brazil where its natural habitat is rocky areas above 2,600 m (8,500 ft). It is threatened by habitat loss. It is in the same genus as the popular house plant known as Christmas cactus or Thanksgiving cactus.

<i>Schlumbergera opuntioides</i> Species of cactus

Schlumbergera opuntioides is a species of plant in the family Cactaceae. It is endemic to the coastal mountains of south-eastern Brazil where its natural habitats are humid forests and rocky areas. It is threatened by habitat loss. It is in the same genus as the popular house plant known as Christmas Cactus or Thanksgiving Cactus.

Schlumbergera orssichiana is a species of plant in the family Cactaceae. It is endemic to a small area of the coastal mountains of south-eastern Brazil where its natural habitat is moist forest. It grows on trees as an epiphyte. It is in the same genus as the popular houseplant known as Christmas cactus or Thanksgiving cactus.

<i>Schlumbergera russelliana</i> Species of cactus

Schlumbergera russelliana is a species of plant in the family Cactaceae. It is endemic to a small area of the coastal mountains of south-eastern Brazil where its natural habitat is moist forest. It grows on trees as an epiphyte. It is one of the parents of many of the popular houseplants known as Christmas cactus or Thanksgiving cactus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhipsalideae</span> Tribe of cacti

The Rhipsalideae are a small tribe of cacti, comprising four or five genera. They grow on trees (epiphytes) or on rocks (lithophytes), where they either hang down or form creeping or upright shrubs. Their flowers open in the day and remain open at night; they may be either radially symmetrical (regular) or bilaterally symmetrical (zygomorphic). The fruits are berry-like, fleshy with smallish seeds.

<i>Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri</i> Species of cactus

Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri, synonyms Schlumbergera gaertneri and Hatiora gaertneri, is a species of epiphytic cactus which belongs to the tribe Rhipsalideae within the subfamily Cactoideae of the Cactaceae. Together with the hybrid with R. rosea, Rhipsalidopsis × graeseri, it is known, in English speaking countries in the Northern Hemisphere, as Easter cactus or Whitsun cactus and is a widely cultivated ornamental plant. It has received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

<i>Rhipsalis mesembryanthemoides</i> Species of cactus

Rhipsalis mesembryanthemoides is a cactus in the genus Rhipsalis of the family Cactaceae. The first description was in 1821 by Adrian Hardy Haworth. The shoots are reminiscent of the plants of the genus Mesembryanthemum, hence the epithet mesembryanthemoides.

<i>Hatiora salicornioides</i> Species of cactus

Hatiora salicornioides, the bottle cactus, dancing-bones, drunkard's-dream, or spice cactus, is a species of flowering plant in the cactus family. A member of the tribe Rhipsalideae, it often grows as an epiphyte, natively in eastern Brazil and ornamentally elsewhere.

<i>Hatiora cylindrica</i> Species of cactus

Hatiora cylindrica is a species of often epiphytic cactus in the tribe Rhipsalideae within the subfamily Cactoideae. It is native to east Brazil, where it grows in a variety of habitats, including moist forest, dunes and coastal rocks.

Hatiora herminiae is a species of flowering plant in the tribe Rhipsalideae, family Cactaceae. It grows as an epiphyte in cloud forests in Southeast Brazil.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Taylor, N.P.; Zappi, D. (2013). "Schlumbergera kautskyi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2013: e.T40873A2939316. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T40873A2939316.en . Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 McMillan, A.J.S. & Horobin, J.F. (1995), Christmas Cacti : The genus Schlumbergera and its hybrids (p/b ed.), Sherbourne, Dorset: David Hunt, ISBN   978-0-9517234-6-3 , pp. 18-26
  3. 1 2 3 Anderson, Edward F. (2001), The Cactus Family, Pentland, Oregon: Timber Press, ISBN   978-0-88192-498-5 , p. 623
  4. ↑ Hunt, David (1995), "Appendix I Names and synonyms of the species, subspecies and interspecific hybrids", p. 78, in McMillan & Horobin 1995, pp. 78–80
  5. ↑ Korotkova, Nadja; Borsch, Thomas; Quandt, Dietmar; Taylor, Nigel P.; Müller, Kai F. & Barthlott, Wilhelm (2011), "What does it take to resolve relationships and to identify species with molecular markers? An example from the epiphytic Rhipsalideae (Cactaceae)", American Journal of Botany, 98 (9): 1549–1572, doi: 10.3732/ajb.1000502 , PMID   21900612
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