Mistletoe Cactus

About

Mistletoe cactus has thin, spaghetti-like green stems that branch into a soft trailing mass a metre or more long. There are no spines, and through autumn and winter it produces tiny cream flowers followed by small, round, translucent white berries along the stems. Those berries give it the common name.

Its geography is unusual for a cactus. The family is otherwise wholly American, yet this species grows wild in the Old World too, across Africa, Madagascar and Sri Lanka as well as tropical America. It is also one of the most adaptable jungle cacti in cultivation.

Up in shady, humid forest it lives on branches instead of in earth, an epiphyte, so it needs filtered light, an airy compost and steady, modest moisture, and it puts up with more shade than nearly any other cactus. It is fast and tough, provided it is spared harsh sun, freezing and a waterlogged pot.

Appearance and character

The stems are very thin and round in section, no thicker than pencil lead, a soft mid-green, and they branch freely into a dense, tangled fall that hangs well below the pot.

They are soft and wholly spineless, safe to handle and easy to hang. The plant will grow in deeper shade than most cacti, though it fills out best in bright, filtered light.

Fresh stems break out all along the old ones and at the tips, so the plant thickens as it lengthens.

The flowers are tiny, cream to greenish-white, borne along the stems in autumn and winter, and they give way to small, round, translucent white berries like little mistletoe fruits, the source of the name.

Where it is from

Rhipsalis baccifera grows in humid tropical forests on both sides of the Atlantic. It ranges through tropical America and, alone among cacti, into Africa, Madagascar and Sri Lanka. It perches as an epiphyte on branches in shaded, humid conditions, rooting into leaf litter and moss.

That shaded, forest life is the guide to its care. It needs bright but filtered light, taking more shade than any other cactus, an open and airy root run, and a steady, modest supply of water. A cold, wet pot rots it; otherwise it is very adaptable.

How it grows

Through spring and summer it grows steadily, branching and drawing out its threadlike stems, and it slows a little over a cooler winter, when the flowers and white berries come. Warmth, filtered light and even moisture keep it going, and it grows fuller and faster than most trailing cacti.

Grow it in an open, quick-draining epiphytic compost in a hanging or raised pot where the stems can cascade, and water once the surface has dried, keeping the compost evenly but modestly moist. Let the pot drain fully at every watering.

Bright, filtered light or even light shade suits it well; keep it above about 7 deg C, off cold draughts and out of harsh direct sun, which can scorch the fine stems.

Cuttings are easy. A few stems, snipped and pushed into gritty compost or even laid on it, take root.

Through the seasons

Spring starts the strong growth. Bring back steady watering and monthly feeding as the stems lengthen.

Summer is the main season. Keep it in bright, filtered light, the open mix evenly but modestly damp, and feed monthly to build trailing growth.

Autumn slows the growth. Cream flowers open along the stems, followed by white berries. Wind the feeding down.

Winter brings a cooler, slightly drier rest above about 7 deg C, the translucent berries still strung along the stems. Water a touch less, and keep it clear of cold draughts.

Care difficulty

Easy, and forgiving by cactus standards. It grows fast, roots from a snipped stem, and takes shade and neglect better than most cacti. It fails mainly in a cold, wet pot, which rots it, or when kept too dry or in harsh sun, which shrivels or scorches the fine stems.

Watering

Water once the surface of the open compost dries, keeping the root run evenly but modestly moist through the growing months. As a forest plant it needs more even moisture than a desert cactus, but the compost must clear freely and never sit wet.

Ease off a little through the cooler winter rest, without a hard drought, since the fine stems shrivel if parched too long. Tip away whatever gathers beneath a hanging pot, as cold, wet stems rot.

Warning signs, diseases and pests

A cold, wet pot rots it, and on stems this fine the damage runs fast, turning them soft, sallow or black over a mushy base. Shift it to an airier compost, cut the watering back, warm it up, and root a few sound stems if the base has gone.

Wrinkled, slack stems mean it has been too dry. A good soak should restore them, since unlike a desert cactus it does not want a hard drought.

Mealybugs tuck into the tangled stems as white fluff. Lift them off with dilute alcohol and check the plant often, because the dense growth hides them.

Growing environment

Bright, filtered light fills it out, though this is one of the most shade-tolerant cacti and grows in light shade where others will not. Harsh direct sun scorches the fine stems. A bright spot out of direct sun, or gentle shade, suits it.

Average warmth suits it, a cool or a warm room alike, so long as it stays above about 7 deg C and the air is not bone dry. Keep it off cold draughts and away from the dry heat thrown off by a radiator, which shrivels the fine stems fastest.

Grow it in an open, quick-draining epiphytic compost in a hanging pot where the threadlike stems can cascade, in a bright, filtered or lightly shaded, humid spot.

Feeding

Through spring and summer, a diluted balanced feed once a month keeps the fast, full growth going. Wind it down in autumn and feed little over winter.

Flush the pot through with plain water every so often to wash out fertiliser salts. A stem cutting just rooted into fresh compost needs no feed for its first few weeks.

Troubleshooting

The stems have shrivelled. Too long without water. Unlike a desert cactus it does not want a hard drought, so soak it and keep it evenly, modestly moist.

The stems are soft and yellow. Rot from a cold, wet pot, which the threadlike stems betray sooner than a stouter rhipsalis would. Move it to an airier compost, cut the watering right back, raise the warmth, and re-root a few firm threads if the base has failed.

Will it grow in a shady spot? Yes, better than nearly any other cactus. It takes light shade well, though it fills out most in bright, filtered light. Only harsh direct sun harms it.

What are the little white berries? Its fruit, small translucent white berries like mistletoe, which follow the tiny flowers and give the plant its name. They are harmless.

Is it safe around pets? Yes. No rhipsalis holds a listed toxin, and the thin spineless stems and small white berries carry no hazard beyond a possible mild stomach upset.