Epiphyllum - also called Orchid Cactus

[Yug]

Thanks for all the comments!

Fantastic!

When I was in college, I picked up an E. oxypetlaum for $0.50 from a yard sale. "It just bloomed, so won't bloom again for seven years." I thought the growth habit was interesting enough, that for half-a-buck, it was worth having. Needless to say, it bloomed later that summer, and again and again.

I left it on my front porch in Atlanta, and went back to D.C. For a month, with my roommates promising to care for it. Another needless to say, when I got back it was a fried mess, with about two dozen, barely green areas in a plant in a 12" pot that was about 4' tall. Out, onto the compost heap it went.

Needless to say #3, in a matter of a couple of months, I had a whole slew of small plants growing from those pieces.

Over the next 25 years, cuttings were given away, gotten back, thrown away, and recovered, between me and literally dozens of family members and friends. I finally got rid of my last piece - 18" pot about 6' tall - in order to make greenhouse space.

Ray, I found a piece of an oxypetalum just laying on the sidewalk where I walk my dog around the block. I saw where the plant was that it had broken off from, but had no idea what it was. It was flat, fleshy, and about 7" x 4" and didn't look too dried up. I put it in the back on the ground leaning on the trunk of a dracena fragrans. Afer a few months I noticed that it had put out some roots and proceeded to grow a nicly shaped fleshy leaf-like branch. No blooms. The following year I noticed a thick green pole about a finger width standing vertically next to the dracena. It looked just like a green plant stake sold at a local big-box store. It proceeded to flatten and curl slightly at the top end, and then spread out nicely in 8 flat leaf-like growths, and a 9th one sticking up in the back of those. It is about 7 ft tall now, but still no blooms. Interesting looking thing, but those large white blooms would be a welcome sight.