Rhipsalis baccifera - Mistletoe cactus

Rhipsalis baccifera, also known as the fruit-bearing mistletoe cactus or mistletoe cactus, is an indoor cactus with a trailing habit, superb in a hanging basket. Its slender, flexible, and almost thornless stems form a cascade at the edge of a shelf, in a bright room or a temperate conservatory. When conditions suit it, it becomes covered in small, pale flowers, followed by round, translucent berries.

A botanical species from the Cactaceae family, Rhipsalis baccifera has an exceptionally vast natural range: it is found natively in tropical and subtropical America, but also in tropical Africa and Madagascar. In the wild, it lives mainly as an epiphyte on branches (and sometimes on rocks), in bright but filtered areas where air humidity is constant.
The plant is formed of green to blue-green, segmented, cylindrical stems that branch over time; young shoots sometimes bear small, slightly woolly areoles with a few bristles, which disappear with time. Flowering takes the form of small, funnel-shaped, white to greenish-white flowers, from winter to spring. They are followed by white to pinkish, translucent berries. Indoors, it forms a clump of about 60 cm in spread and its stems commonly trail to 1 m, more with age.
This species is also encountered under the old name Rhipsalis cassytha (sometimes spelled Rhipsalis cassutha). It is noted as being non-toxic to cats and dogs.

To grow this mistletoe cactus, provide it with bright light without direct sun, a rather humid atmosphere, and stable temperatures within a range of 15 to 25 °C (protect from cold, ideally above 13 °C). It will be more beautiful if the air is not too dry and if temperature fluctuations are avoided; this plant particularly thrives in a bright bathroom, a light kitchen, or a mild conservatory.

Place your Rhipsalis baccifera in a hanging macramé holder, in a perforated basket or a stoneware pot near a window with a sheer curtain, or let it trail from a light wood shelf in a Japandi, bohemian, or industrial-style décor. To create a coherent plant corner, you can pair it with an Epipremnum aureum ‘Marble Queen’ and a Ficus pumila ‘Arina’. Add a Chlorophytum ‘Variegatum’ (variegated spider plant) with its ribbon-like, variegated foliage.