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Disocactus phyllanthoides
Also called German Empress
Disocactus phyllanthoides, the German empress or nopalxochitl, is a branching epiphytic cactus with flat green stems and large pink funnel-shaped flowers. It is very easy to grow, with the key being a leafy, well-drained mix and a cool, dry winter rest.
Disocactus phyllanthoides, the nopalxochitl or German empress, is a species of flowering plant in the cactus family Cactaceae. It is commonly grown as an ornamental houseplant. It is one of the three major species involved in creating the widely grown epiphyllum hybrids or "epis". The others are Disocactus speciosus and Disocactus crenatus.
Disocactus phyllanthoides is very easily cultivated. The soil should contain plenty of leaf-mould and the plant be given regular water and doses of fertilizer in summer. Best kept relatively cool and dry in winter, 10–15 °C (50–59 °F). Plants held under proper conditions can produce flowers at least three times a year, but the main flowering period is spring.
Under its synonym Nopalxochia phyllanthoides this plant has won the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
This species is endemic to Mexico and known from cloud forest in the states of Puebla and Veracruz at elevations of 1,500–1,850 m (4,920–6,070 ft) above sea level. It is an epiphyte that sometimes grows on rocks.
Disocactus ackermannii · Fishbone Cactus · Disocactus crenatus · Sun Cereus
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Disocactus phyllanthoides 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.
