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Rhipsalis clavata; photograph (c) Gabriel Jovêncio Ribeiro, some rights reserved (CC BY) CC BY(c) Gabriel Jovêncio Ribeiro, some rights reserved (CC BY) · observed growing wild · 2025-08-06

Rhipsalis clavata F.A.C.Weber

Cactaceae · Brazil Southeast, Brazil South · listed by its genus as an epiphyte

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Rhipsalis clavata, photograph (c) Gabriel Jovêncio Ribeiro, some rights reserved (CC BY)Rhipsalis clavata, photograph (c) UNA Ecoturismo, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)Rhipsalis clavata, photograph (c) Diogo Luiz, some rights reserved (CC BY)Rhipsalis clavata, photograph (c) Yoannis Domínguez, some rights reserved (CC BY)Rhipsalis clavata, photograph (c) Yoannis Domínguez, some rights reserved (CC BY)Rhipsalis clavata, photograph Neves andreia, CC BY-SA, via GBIF 11 photographs ›
Habitat figuresfrom few records
Coldest month, mean nightly low
15.8°C
Jul at the habitat, not a floor; extremes not used (sea cell) CHELSA
Warmest month, mean daily high
29°C
Feb at the habitat CHELSA
Rain a year (median across the range)
1,475mm
12 months of 25 mm or more in the median year CHELSA
Open-sky light
22–38DLI
Lowest to highest month (DLI) CHELSA
The year in your months, northern hemisphere
  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec
Wet summers: the rain comes April to October (October to April at the habitat), read as a summer growing season. rain rule, CHELSA
Northern hemisphere unless you set your site. The chart is in the habitat's months.

From few records: 4 records in 4 grid cells. The records.

About the genus · Rhipsalis

Rhipsalis is a genus of epiphytic flowering plants in the cactus family, typically known as mistletoe cacti. They are found in parts of Central America, the Caribbean and northern regions of South America. One species, Rhipsalis baccifera also inhabits locations in Africa and Asia, and is the only cactus species naturally occurring in the Old World. More on Wikipedia ›

Quoted from Wikipedia, "Rhipsalis", CC BY-SA 4.0.

Cultivation

Grouped as an epiphyte, listed under the genus Rhipsalis in the archetype table, and Kew describes it as “succulent epiphyte”.

Seasons

The rain rule reads a summer growing season: 70% of the median year's rain (1,133 mm of 1,473 mm) falls in October to April, warmer than the year (wet-season mean 23.8 °C against a yearly mean of 22.3 °C). Months are the habitat's, southern hemisphere; shifted six months for a northern-hemisphere collection: April to October.

Rain

1,473 mm in the median year at the habitat, 1,133 mm of it October to April. Wettest month January at 218 mm, driest month August at 51 mm. Across the grid cells of the range the year's total runs 1,246 mm to 2,095 mm, the 10th to 90th percentile of each cell's own year. The median of the cells' own yearly totals, 1,475 mm, is the year's rain at the top of the page; the 1,473 mm here is the median year's, the twelve monthly medians added, which the rain rule reads. Habitat calendar, southern hemisphere; median year across the grid cells of the range, CHELSA.

Light

Open sky over the habitat: 22 to 38 mol/m²/day across the year (daily light integral, median year across the grid cells of the range, CHELSA; the lowest 10th-percentile month across the cells is 20, the highest 90th-percentile month 39).

Warmth and air
Temperature

Monthly means: the coldest month's mean nightly low 15.8 °C in July (across the grid cells of the range 12.3 °C to 17.0 °C), the warmest month's mean daily high 28.5 °C in February (median year across the grid cells of the range, CHELSA). Cold floor: none read. The nearest figure is 15.8 °C, the coldest month's mean nightly low, July, in the median year (CHELSA); a month's mean of its nightly lows is warmer than the nights a floor is read from. The daily extremes were read at a weather cell that is mostly sea and are not used.

Humidity

Relative humidity at the habitat: 63 to 68% across the year (monthly means, median year across the grid cells of the range, CHELSA). A figure about the air, saying nothing about how the plant takes water.

How this section is made

Each card states this species' habitat figures with their sources, and what two fixed rules read from them; nothing here says what the plant does, wants or tolerates. The rules · the terms.

Seasons. Read from the median year of CHELSA monthly rainfall and mean temperature across the grid cells of the range: the rain rule takes the smallest set of months carrying 70% of the rain and calls it winter when its mean is more than half a degree below the year's, summer when more than that above, and neither in between; the temperature rule, used only under 120 mm, names the cooler six months when they are at least a degree cooler than the other six. Months are shifted for the other hemisphere only where the temperature curve moves 4 °C or more and the habitat lies 10° or more from the equator. A reading of the curves, not an observation of the plant.

Rain. CHELSA monthly precipitation, median year across the grid cells of the range. The rain that falls where the species is recorded; nothing about how the plant takes water.

Light. CHELSA shortwave radiation at each envelope cell, a daily-mean flux taken to a daily total and converted at 2.07 mol of PAR per MJ. The sky over the habitat, measured; what reaches a plant under a rock, a shrub or a shade cloth is not.

Temperature. CHELSA monthly means, median year across the grid cells of the range. No cold floor is read without a daily extremes series; the coldest month's mean nightly low named in its sentence is not one. Not a measured survival limit for any plant in a pot.

Humidity. CHELSA relative humidity, median year across the grid cells of the range.

Group. Listed under the genus Rhipsalis in the archetype table, and Kew describes it as “succulent epiphyte”. A group is taken only where Kew's description of the species agrees with the table's listing. The table gives no figure and no prose; the cold floor is the habitat's alone.

Climate across the habitat

From few records: this habitat climate is read from 4 records in 4 grid cells; a page says so under 12 records or 5 cells, and shows the figures as read.

Habitat months, southern hemisphere

Habitat climate of Rhipsalis clavata through the yearWarmest month February, mean daily high 29 °C; coldest month July, mean nightly low 15.8 °C; 1,473 mm of rain in the median year (the twelve monthly medians added). Medians across the range, from CHELSA. Habitat months, southern hemisphere.10°15°20°25°30°35°°C · day and nightcold quarter0100200300400mm rainDLI 22–38RH 63–68%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
day night rain medians and 10th–90th percentile across 4 habitat cells, CHELSA cold quarter: the three months around the coldest month's mean nightly low DLI, mol/m²/dayRH %each on its own scale
Figures by month
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Day °C28 / 26–2929 / 26–3027 / 25–2926 / 23–2724 / 21–2523 / 21–2423 / 20–2424 / 21–2524 / 22–2525 / 23–2626 / 24–2727 / 25–28
Night °C22 / 19–2322 / 19–2422 / 18–2320 / 17–2118 / 14–1916 / 13–1816 / 12–1716 / 13–1717 / 14–1819 / 16–2020 / 17–2121 / 18–22
Rain mm218 / 186–331143 / 121–229173 / 146–258127 / 108–14881 / 70–9262 / 53–6556 / 48–5851 / 42–5690 / 75–114111 / 95–154151 / 125–244210 / 174–354
DLI37 / 35–3838 / 37–3933 / 32–3428 / 27–2923 / 22–2422 / 20–2322 / 21–2327 / 26–2828 / 27–2932 / 31–3335 / 33–3635 / 33–36
RH %67 / 66–6867 / 66–6868 / 67–6967 / 66–6866 / 65–6763 / 62–6563 / 61–6463 / 62–6465 / 64–6667 / 65–6867 / 66–6968 / 67–70

The daily extremes were read at a NASA POWER cell that is 44% land: neither it nor the next candidates whose coldest month's mean nightly low is within 2 °C of the median across cells sit in a POWER cell that is mostly land, and the rule reads a cold floor only from a cell that is mostly land, so none is read for this species. Nor is the coldest month's mean nightly low taken as one: it is a mean of a month's lows, not its coldest night. What that cell gave over 44 years: absolute minimum 11.3 °C, 1st-percentile night 14.7 °C, 99th-percentile day 32.4 °C.

How this section is made
Each figure is the median across the 4 grid cells holding the 4 in-range records, with the 10th–90th percentile span across those cells after the slash where it differs. A dash is a month one or more of those cells has no figure for in the grid (a variable CHELSA does not carry there), so no median is taken rather than one over fewer cells. Extremes and elevation were read at a typical spot in the range, cell 2258:2734 (-22.925, -43.275). Normals: CHELSA V2.1 1981–2010 climatology, 0.05° cells (each the mean of ~36 1 km pixels). Across the range: median and 10th–90th percentile of each month across the 4 distinct grid cells holding 4 of the 4 in-range records; extremes and elevation at the typical cell 2258:2734 (its coldest month's mean nightly low nearest the median across cells, though its NASA POWER cell is only 44% land and none of the 2 next candidates within 2 °C of the median was mostly land); its position is the cell centre. Extremes: NASA POWER (MERRA-2) daily 1981–2024, cell -23.00_-43.125, lapse-corrected +160 m at 6.5 °C/km. Elevation: ETOPO 2022, 241 m (cell mean).

Natural habitat

Native range as published by WCVP; the marker is where the records are densest and decides nothing: the climate was read across the cells of the in-range records placed well enough to read one, not at the marker.
Openly licensed records inside the range, framed on where they fall.
NativeBrazil Southeast, Brazil South · regions are the level-3 units of the World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, as Kew's World Checklist records ranges, some under historical names such as Yugoslavia or Czechoslovakia (how).
Map marker-22.55, -43.12 · in the densest population, 29 records (66% of those in range)
Kew's description“succulent epiphyte” · “seasonally dry tropical” · quoted from WCVP, RBG Kew (CC BY 4.0); not derived here
Evidence usedThe map marker rests on all 44 georeferenced records inside the native range; the climate across the range on the 4 of them placed to within 10 km; the map shows only the 40 openly licensed ones, which alone would put the marker 1 km away. Under a dozen records behind the climate. 40 in-range records are placed to worse than 10 km, or with no stated accuracy (admitted only as a person's observation to three decimals), and stay on the map but off the climate.
How this section is made
The map marker: the openly licensed record nearest the middle of the densest 1° population of the 44 in-range records; it decides nothing. Records outside the native range, living specimens and records marked introduced are not used; which records count.

Photographs

Rhipsalis clavata, photograph 1did not loadRhipsalis clavata, photograph 2did not loadRhipsalis clavata, photograph 3did not loadRhipsalis clavata, photograph 4did not loadRhipsalis clavata, photograph 5did not loadRhipsalis clavata, photograph 6did not load

Photographs: (c) Gabriel Jovêncio Ribeiro, some rights reserved (CC BY); (c) UNA Ecoturismo, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA); (c) Diogo Luiz, some rights reserved (CC BY); (c) Yoannis Domínguez, some rights reserved (CC BY) (2); Neves andreia, CC BY-SA, via GBIF.

Similar habitat climate The 6 nearest by mean daily high, mean nightly low and rain, month by month. How.

Justicia plumbaginifolia Justicia plumbaginifolia Acanthaceae Photo: CC0, author not statedMaranta cristata Maranta cristata Marantaceae Photo: CC BY, Josh BaryiaRhipsalis oblonga Rhipsalis oblonga Cactaceae Photo: Public domain, David MidgleyHippeastrum reticulatum Hippeastrum reticulatum Netted-veined amaryllis Photo: CC BY, William G. BorgesCeiba crispiflora Ceiba crispiflora Malvaceae Photo: CC BY, Karim HaddadBegonia maculata Begonia maculata Cane Begonia Photo: CC0, author not stated

Other Rhipsalis 34 in the reference

Rhipsalis baccifera Rhipsalis baccifera Mistletoe cactus Photo: CC BY, Claudio Cantú MuñizRhipsalis burchellii Rhipsalis burchellii Cactaceae Photo: CC BY, Jefferson FerreiraRhipsalis campos-portoana Rhipsalis campos-portoana Cactaceae Photo: CC BY-SA, salchuRhipsalis cereoides Rhipsalis cereoides Cactaceae Photo: CC BY-SA, Krzysztof Ziarnek, KenraizRhipsalis cereuscula Rhipsalis cereuscula Rice cactus Photo: CC BY, William StephensRhipsalis crispata Rhipsalis crispata Cactaceae Photo: CC BY, Diogo LuizRhipsalis cuneata Rhipsalis cuneata Cactaceae Photo: CC BY, Krzysztof Ziarnek, KenraizRhipsalis dissimilis Rhipsalis dissimilis Cactaceae Photo: CC BY, Pedro Alvaro NevesRhipsalis elliptica Rhipsalis elliptica Cactaceae Photo: CC BY, Yoannis DomínguezRhipsalis ewaldiana Rhipsalis ewaldiana Cactaceae Photo: CC BY-SA, SadambioRhipsalis floccosa Rhipsalis floccosa Cactaceae Photo: CC BY, Gabriel FernandesRhipsalis goebeliana Rhipsalis goebeliana Cactaceae Photo: CC BY-SA, Sadambio all 35 ›

Names & registers

Also known as Erythrorhipsalis clavata; Erythrorhipsalis clavata subsp. delicatula; Hariota clavata; Hatiora clavata; Rhipsalis clavata f. delicatula and 2 more. (GBIF Backbone)

GBIFPOWOIPNIWFOWikidataiNaturalist

The record

Family
Cactaceae
Described by
F.A.C.Weber
Native to
Brazil Southeast, Brazil South
Wild records
44 in range · 40 open

Every figure here is derived from public data by a stated rule and names its source; nothing about this species is written for its page by a person or by AI, apart from the marked, credited quotations. How →

Where this page came from built 2026-10-22
GBIF species record gbif.species answeredasked 2026-10-22
GBIF synonyms gbif.synonyms answeredasked 2026-10-22
GBIF common names gbif.vernacular answeredasked 2026-10-22names fetched 2026-10-22
WCVP native range wcvp.distribution answeredas of 2026-06-04
GBIF occurrence records gbif.occurrences answeredas of 2026-10-21GBIF occurrence download https://doi.org/10.15468/dl.hbdw64, of 2026-10-21
Habitat climate climate answeredasked 2026-10-22
Daily extremes (NASA POWER) climate.extremes answeredasked 2026-10-22NASA POWER (MERRA-2) daily 1981–2024, cell -23.00_-43.125, lapse-corrected +160 m at 6.5 °C/km; read, and set aside: NASA POWER's cell is mostly sea (44% land), so no cold floor is shown
Wikidata wikidata answeredasked 2026-10-22
Wikipedia wikipedia nothing to reportasked 2026-10-22
iNaturalist photographs, wild inat.photos.wild answeredasked 2026-10-22from iNaturalist's open data of 2026-09-27: research-grade observations with an open-licence photograph, the 24 whose photographs iNaturalist received last (the open data holds no votes); filled 2026-10-22
iNaturalist photographs, cultivated inat.photos.cultivated not asked
GBIF media gbif.media answeredasked 2026-10-22
Wikimedia Commons commons answeredasked 2026-10-22
OpenAlex papers openalex not askednot yet asked for this reference; a later fill takes the papers from OpenAlex's snapshot

Every source is recorded as having answered, reported nothing, refused, failed, not been asked, or answered twice where one answer is taken (“not taken: two items answered”), and, for a source asked when this page was built, when: the figures are as the source held them that day; a source read from a file (Kew's World Checklist, a GBIF download) says "as of" the file's day instead; a row carried from an earlier build of the page names that build instead. Only “nothing to report” is ever shown as an absence. Records came from 23 datasets via GBIF.org; each carries its own licence.

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