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Epiphyllums are treated as follows: Cuttings of Pereskia are rooted and grown on to the required size, and in the month of September they are headed down, the tops being used as cuttings. Grafts of Epiphyllum are then prepared by cutting them to the required length, usually about 6 in., and removing a thin slice of the fleshy stem on each side so as to form a flat wedge.
EPIPHYLLUM. Stem flattened, jointed; joints short; flowers from the apices of the joints; calyx tube short; petals irregular, almost bilabiate. Tribe II. Calyx-tube not produced beyond the Ovary. Stem branching, jointed. RHIPSALIS. Stem thin and rounded, angular, or flattened, bearing tufts of hair when young; flowers small; petals spreading; ovary smooth; fruit a small pea-like berry.
It would be useless to attempt such a cross as Epiphyllum with Cereus giganteus, because of their widely different natures; but such crosses as Epiphyllum with Phyllocactus, and Cereus flagelliformis with C. speciosissimus, have been brought about.
In the remarks upon grafting we mentioned the large pyramidal specimens of Epiphyllum which are grown by some cultivators for exhibition purposes; and, although these plants are much rarer at exhibitions now than they were a few years ago, yet they do sometimes appear, especially in the northern towns, such as Liverpool and Manchester.
In a window with a south aspect, and which lights a room where fires are kept, at least during cold weather, specimens of Phyllocactus, Cereus flagelliformis, Epiphyllum, and, in fact, of almost every kind of Cactus, are sometimes to be met with even in England; whilst in Germany they are as popular among the poorer classes as the Fuchsia, the Pelargonium, and the Musk are with us.
As in the case of the Epiphyllums, the principal character by which the Phyllocactus is distinguished is well described by the name, the difference between it and Epiphyllum being that in the former the flowers are produced along the margins of the flattened branches, whereas in the latter they are borne on the apices of the short, truncate divisions.
Hitherto we have been dealing with those genera which have thick fleshy stems; but there still remain the genera Rhipsalis, Epiphyllum, and Phyllocactus, which are not capable of bearing the long period of drought advised for the former.
The branchlets are exactly the same as those of E. truncatum, but the flowers are not like Epiphyllum at all, resembling rather those of Cereus or Phyllocactus. They are brilliant scarlet in colour, shaded with violet. Tube rosy-violet; petals dark red. Tube and base of petals white, rest salmon-red, shaded with purple. Tube and base of petals white; tips of petals carmine.
Thrips attack Phyllocactus, Rhipsalis, and Epiphyllum, especially when the plants are grown in less shade, or in a higher temperature, than is good for them. Fumigation with tobacco, dipping in a strong solution of tobacco, or sponging with a mixture of soap and water, are either of them effectual when applied to plants infested with thrips.
Grafted plants, especially Epiphyllums, when worked on to Pereskia stocks, are apt to grow weak and flabby through the stem wearing out, or through the presence of mealy bug or insects in the crevices of the part where the stock and scion join, in which case it is best to prepare fresh stocks of Pereskia, and graft on to them the best of the pieces of Epiphyllum from the old, debilitated plant.
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