Rhipsalis dissimilis

Temperature and the onset of growth

In a comparison of eight Rhipsalis species, seeds of this species germinated well at 20–25 °C and retained a high germination percentage at 15 °C. Higher temperatures restricted the process, with few seedlings in extreme treatments. Seeds were observed for 60 days, allowing slow germination to be distinguished from complete inhibition within that period. The conclusions concern the collected sample and do not establish winter tolerance in adult epiphytes [Gonçalo et al. 2026].

Water and subsequent seedling fate

In the separate osmotic series, reduced water availability at 25 °C strongly affected survival. At −0.4 MPa, 49 seeds germinated, but none of the resulting seedlings remained alive at the end of the trial. Remaining seeds were then transferred to water to test recovery of germination. Living seedlings emerged during this phase. Delaying development can therefore preserve the opportunity for later growth, while an emerged seedling already requires continued water availability [Gonçalo et al. 2026].

Sowing outcomes for this species are usefully recorded in two ways, as the number of germinated seeds and the number of surviving seedlings. That distinction follows directly from the experiment. PEG solution modelled restricted water uptake but does not correspond to a particular moisture percentage in a potting mixture. The findings support the importance of sustained conditions for young plants, whereas a substrate recipe requires separate cultivation evidence [Gonçalo et al. 2026].

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Materials from the author's archive

The species also appears in Konrad Szychowski's private material archive [Schumann 1890].

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