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Fishbone Cactus

Disocactus anguliger

Fishbone Cactus
Photo: Emma Lindahl, CC BY-SA 2.5

Fishbone cactus is an epiphytic cactus from Mexican forests, grown for its fragrant night-blooming flowers and edible fruit. It grows best in semi-shade with a humusy, moist-in-summer compost.

Family
Cactaceae (Cactus family)
Grows as
Succulent
Light
Part shade
Water
Water freely in summer and let the top of the compost dry out between waterings; keep barely moist in winter.
Soil
Humus-rich, peaty or epiphyte-style mix that drains well.
Temperature
16–25 °C; can tolerate 10–15 °C for short periods
How easy
Easy
Safety
Not known to be toxic
Native range
SW. & C. Mexico (to Hidalgo)
Climate
seasonally dry tropical

About

Disocactus anguliger (syn. Epiphyllum anguliger), commonly known as the fishbone cactus or zig zag cactus, is a cactus species native to Mexico. The species is commonly grown as an ornamental for its fragrant flowers in the fall.

How to grow it

This easily cultivated, fast growing epiphyte requires a compost containing plenty of humus and sufficient moisture in summer. It should be kept at 16–25 °C (61–77 °F), but temperatures may drop to 10–15 °C (50–59 °F) for shorter periods. It is best grown in semi-shade. It flowers in late autumn or early winter.

Where it grows

The species is endemic to Mexico, occurring as an epiphyte in evergreen forests in Oaxaca, Guerrero, Jalisco, and Michoacán and/or Nayarit. It can be found at elevations between 1,100 and 1,800 m.

Other Disocactus plants

Disocactus ackermannii · Disocactus crenatus · Cactus · Sun Cereus

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Disocactus anguliger by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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