Schlumbergera russelliana

Appearance

"Schlumbergera russelliana" resembles other species of the genus "Schlumbergera" in that it has leafless green stems which act as photosynthetic organs. The stems are composed of strongly flattened segments, which have a small number of notches along their edges. Individual segments are about 1–3.8 cm long by 0.8–2.0 cm wide.

Special structures characteristic of cacti, called "areoles", occur in the notches at the side of a segment and at the end. The areoles, which bristles up to 5 mm long, are where the flower buds appear. The flowers hang downwards and are radially symmetrical. They are about 5 cm long by 3–4 cm across. The tepals, which are of various shades of pink, are arranged in two groups, giving the appearance of a "flower within a flower". The inner tepals are longer and fused together at the base to form a floral tube about 3 cm long; nectar is produced at the base of this tube. Plants flower in the spring; when cultivated in the Northern Hemisphere the flowering period is February to April.

A characteristic of the genus "Schlumbergera" is that the many stamens are arranged in two series: the inner stamens form a ring around the style; the outer stamens arise from the floral tube. The stamens are pale pink with pink pollen. The style has six to eight lobes at its end and is darker pink.

The fruit is greenish-yellow, with four to five ribs. The shiny seeds are dark brown, each with a diameter of about 1 mm.

Distribution

"Schlumbergera russelliana" occurs only in a small area of the coastal mountains of south-east Brazil, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, located in the southernmost part of the tropics. It has only been found in the Organ Mountains in the Parque Nacional da Serra dos Órgãos. Plants grow at altitudes of 1,400–2,100 metres. Because of their altitude and proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, the coastal mountains have high humidity – warm moist air is forced upwards into higher, colder locations where it condenses. "S. russelliana" usually grows on trees.