Epiphyllum crenatum
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| Flower of Epiphyllum crenatum Photo: Ulf Eliasson | |
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E. crenatum
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Epiphyllum crenatum, the Crenate Orchid Cactus, is a species of cactus and one of the most important parents in creating the Epiphyllum-hybrids commonly cultivated throughout the world. It is cultivated for its beautiful diurnal flowers.
Contents
Etymology
"Crenatum" (lat.) means with crenations (wavy-toothed) and refers to the crenated stem margins. The variety kimnachii honours Mr. Myron Kimnach (1922- ), well known botanist, mainly working with epiphytic cacti and Crassulaceae, and for many years working at the University of California, Berkeley and Huntington Gardens. Kimnach was director of the Huntington Botanical Gardens for 25 years and editor of the Cactus and Succulent Society of America's Journal, and Managing Editor of its peer-reviewed, technical yearbook, Haseltonia for ten years.[1]
History
This species was shown at an exhibition at the Royal Horticultural Society's Garden in 1844 and won highest medal for a new introduction. It had been collected in Honduras five years earlier by Georges Ule Skinner and sent to Sir Charles Lemon who flowered it for the first time in 1843. Lindley thought it to have originated in the island of Antigua. E. crenatum is the only species of Epiphyllum that has been used in hybridization to any extent. Most of the colored hybrids have mainly Disocactus genes and perhaps better referred to as Disocactus-hybrids rather than Epiphyllum hybrids.
Origin and habitat
From Mexico (Oaxaca & Chiapas) to Honduras. Epiphytic (grows upon another plant) or lithophytic (grows on rocks) in moist or wet forests, sometimes in oak forests. 1.750 m alt. or less.
Systematics
This species is very distinct and its nearest relatives are Epiphyllum laui and Epiphyllum anguliger. The flowers of Epiphyllum grandilobum are similar but the stem morphology is very different. Epiphyllum macropterum probably belongs here, but due to lack of type material its identity will never be known, thus that name must be rejected.
Cultivation
An easily cultivated, fast growing epiphyte. Needs compost containing plenty of humus and sufficient moisture in summer. Should not be kept under 12°C (53,5°F) in winter. Can be grown in semi-shade or full sun. Extra light in the early spring will stimulate budding. Flowers in late spring or early summer.
Description
- E. crenatum subsp. crenatum
Stem
Stem erect to ascending, profusely branched, primary stems terete (tapering at both ends) or 3-angled for a short portion at base, becoming ligneous (woody), flat at most of their length, secondary stems flat, flattened portions to 60 cm long, to 6–10 cm wide, stiff and rather succulent.
Leaf
Leaf lanceolate to long linear, acute or obtuse, median nerve rather thick, margins deeply or coarsely crenate, lobes oblique; areoles at the bases of stems sometimes bearing hairs or small bristles, internodes (plant stem part between nodes) narrow or broad.
Epidermis
Epidermis green or almost grayish green, smooth.
Flowers
Flowers to 18–29 cm long and (10-)15–20 cm wide, nocturnal but remaining open for several days, fragrant.
Hypanthium
Pericarpel (hypanthium) 5-angled, 3 cm long, 1,5-1,7 cm thick, with acute, long-decurrent podaria, bracteoles (small bracts) subtening 0-2 (-8) spines to 7 mm long, green.
Receptacle
Receptacle 10–12 cm long, ca 1,5 cm thick at middle, green often reddish at apex or reddish throughout, bearing numerous linear to oblong, obtuse, ± keeled bracleoles 2–3 cm long, ± spreading.
Tepals
Outer tepals inserted within 2 cm of receptacle apex, (7-)10–12 cm long, broadly oblanceolate-linear, greenish yellow to tawny yellow or reddish amber, the outermost sometimes margined red or streaked; inner tepals as long as outer, spathulate to oblanceolate, acuminate to mucronate, white, creamy white or greenish yellow.
Stamens
Nectaries ca 3–4 cm long, stamens numerous, declinate,[2] shorter than tepals, inserted in two zones the lower one ca 4 cm long, from a point ca 4 cm from the ovary chamber, the upper zone forming a throat circle ca 2 cm above, filaments 5–7 cm long, pale yellow or pale greenish yellow; style 15–20 cm long, as long or longer than stamens, 2–3 mm thick, widest at base;
Stigma
Stigma lobes white, 8-9, papillose (nipple-like).
Fruit
Fruit oblong to globose (globe-shaped), the podaria long decurrent, acute.
- E. crenatum subsp. kimnachii
Differs from the typical variety by: stems 4–6 cm wide, lobes usually semicircular; pericarpel and receptacle subterete (tapering at the bottom) in cross-section; pericarpel with subconical (somewhat cone shaped at the bottom) or obtuse, shortly decurrent podaria and with bracteoles subtending ca 6 (0-20) spines to 12 mm long; outer tepals usually inserted within 4–8 cm of tube apex; fruit globose, the podaria shortly decurrent, obtuse.
Comments by Myron Kimnach, Los Angeles
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"I worked in botanical gardens for many years, 11 at UC Berkeley and 25 at the Huntington. At Berkeley in the 1950s Paul Hutchison (the botanist) and I (the grower of the succulent, fern and orchid collections) built up a large collection of epiphytic cacti there. I corresponded with Charles Lankester and Clarence Horich of Costa Rica and they both sent many species to UCBG. I published some of them as new species or wrote about those that were very little known. I went to the Huntington in 1962. Epiphyllum cooperi. It's a complicated story, and, unfortunately, the two articles that relate it are not very well known. In 1964 a Mexican botanist, Helia Bravo, described Epiphyllum crenatum var. kimnachii, listing many wild herbarium collections from Oaxaca and Chiapas. I also collected many of these plants in Mexico and studied many collected by Thomas MacDougal. These all differed from var. crenatum in having many small bracts with spines at the base of the flower and the outer petals emerged for some distance below the apex of the flower. Var. crenatum (Mexico through Honduras) on the other hand had only a few bracts and no spines at the base of the flower and the outer petals all originated at the apex of the tube. 'Cooperi' (known only from cultivation) differs from var. kimnachii only in having the outer petals at the apex of the tube. It was originally claimed that 'Cooperi' was a hybrid between an Epiphyllum and a Selenicereus, but in 1997 an article was published in Haseltonia by Metz, Fröhlich, Kimnach & Meyerowitz that reported that through DNA analysis it had been shown that there was no trace of Selenicereus in 'Cooperi'. The plants used in this test were the original clone of 'Cooperi', wild forms of var. kimnachii and var. crenatum, and two species of Selenicereus. So definitely the name ×Seleniphyllum must be dropped. One has a choice of several names for 'Cooperi'. First, it is only a minor variant of var. kimnachii and is only known from cultivation, so in my opinion it's best to give it cultivar status as E. crenatum var. kimnachii 'Cooperi'. That's a long awkward name and one can of course call it Epiphyllum cooperi, but that name is not likely to be accepted botanically due to the close relationship with E. crenatum. Myron Kimnach"
Clive Innes stated that he "re-made" the cross between E. crenatum and Selenicereus grandiflorus, obtaining several plants identical with 'Cooperi', supporting the theory that it is in fact a hybrid. However, he never managed to present any plants. Clive Innes, unfortunately, did mix up facts on several occasions in the past making his reports somewhat doubtful.
References
- ↑ Cactus and Succulent Society of America, 2007 Convention Speakers, Cactus Lectures, Myron Kimnach.
- ↑ Declinate: descending in a curve or drooping, Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged. S.v. "declinate." Retrieved 2011-05-09 from The Free Dictionary
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- Anderson, E. F. 2001. The cactus family. Timber Press, Portland, Oregon, USA.
- International Plant Names Index
