Fishbone Cactus
Zig Zag Cactus. Also known as Ric Rac or Fishbone Cactus. This name really alludes to two fundamentally the same as looking plants – the Selenicereus anthonyanus and Epiphyllum anguliger which are somewhat difficult to differentiate, despite the fact that on the off chance that you are sufficiently fortunate to see one bloom, you’ll note the previous has pink blossoms while the last has white blossoms, notwithstanding some different contrasts in the shape and length of the leaves with the S. anthonyanus developing longer teeth versus more adjusted scallops on the E. anguiler. This one as of late created two dazzling pink blossoms so I can affirm it’s a S. anthonyanus. SIZE The hanging stems continue to lengthen to 3ft (1m) or more if the plant is regularly repotted. By the time they get this long, younger shoots will appear, and the older stems may be cut off, perhaps for cuttings.
Toxic ☠️: non-toxic to pets and humans.
Some care tips, which apply to both:
☀️ Despite being cacti, they prefer a shaded spot, which makes sense given they are climber, living under the canopy of leaves in the wild. However bright light is definitely preferred and will produce the best growth in them. They can handle some direct sun, but be careful as they need time to acclimate to receiving direct sun, and will burn if not slowly introduced. If you keep them inside, keep them next to a bright window.
💧 Sparingly. Once every few weeks will probably suffice, and their leaves will wrinkle when thirsty.during the growing season water when the top inch of soil is dry, this one doesn’t like to dry out as much as other cacti. Reduce watering in the winter and allow most of the soil to dry before watering again.
🌿 They are epiphytic, meaning they like to climb trees and other structures (and look amazing when they do), producing white aerial roots along their stems. Being climbers, they like well draining soil, so many growers add media such as perlite or orchid bark into their potting mix so the soil doesn’t retain water. They are fast growers too!
🐛 Fairly pest resistant but can get preyed on by mealybugs & scale
🧪 Propagation is easy. Simply take a cutting anywhere along the stem and place the cut end in water, sphagnum moss or soil where they’ll grow roots in a few short weeks
🌸 Their flowers are spectacular, blooming for one night only and incredibly fragrant. Like many plants, you can’t make these flower however giving them the brightest light you can will increase their chances of blooming.
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