''Hatiora cylindrica'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of often

epiphytic An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phoroph ...

cactus A cactus (, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Greek ...

in the tribe

Rhipsalideae The Rhipsalideae are a small tribe of cacti, comprising four genera (and around 60 species). They grow on trees (epiphytes) or on rocks (lithophytes), where they either hang down or form creeping or upright shrubs. Their flowers open in the day ...

within the subfamily

Cactoideae The Cactoideae are the largest subfamily of the cactus family, Cactaceae. Around 80% of cactus species belong to this subfamily. , the internal classification of the family Cactaceae remained uncertain and subject to change. A classification inc ...

. It is native to east Brazil, where it grows in a variety of habitats, including moist forest, dunes and coastal rocks.

Description

''Hatiora cylindrica'' is closely related to ''

Hatiora salicornioides ''Hatiora salicornioides'', the bottle cactus, dancing-bones, drunkard's-dream, or spice cactus, is a species of flowering plant in the cactus family. A member of the tribe Rhipsalideae, it often grows as an epiphyte. It is native to eastern Bra ...

'', and has been included within that species. Like ''H. salicornioides'', it is a leafless

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

with many branched green stems made up of individual segments. These are strictly cylindrical as opposed to bottle-shaped in ''H. salicornioides''. Its flowers, borne at the end of the stems, have many yellow to orange

petal Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...

s and open quite widely. They are followed by white fruits.

Taxonomy

''Hatiora cylindrica'' was first described by

Nathaniel Britton Nathaniel Lord Britton (January 15, 1859 – June 25, 1934) was an American botanist and taxonomist who co-founded the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, New York. Early life Britton was born in New Dorp in Staten Island, New York to Jasper ...

and Joseph Rose in 1923. It has not always been viewed as a separate species, being included in '' H. salicornioides'' as either the form or the variety ''cylindrica''.

Molecular phylogenetic Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...

studies have confirmed its placement in the genus and in the tribe

, and also shown that it is closely related to ''H. salicornioides'' (which may include some other distinct species).

Distribution and habitat

''Hatiora cylindrica'' is native to

Bahia Bahia ( , , ; meaning "bay") is one of the 26 Federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo (sta ...

in Northeast Brazil, and

Minas Gerais Minas Gerais () is a state in Southeastern Brazil. It ranks as the second most populous, the third by gross domestic product (GDP), and the fourth largest by area in the country. The state's capital and largest city, Belo Horizonte (literally ...

and

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

in Southeast Brazil. It may also be present in

Espírito Santo Espírito Santo (, , ; ) is a state in southeastern Brazil. Its capital is Vitória, and its largest city is Serra. With an extensive coastline, the state hosts some of the country's main ports, and its beaches are significant tourist attra ...

, also in Southeast Brazil. It is found from sea level to elevations of . It grows as an

epiphyte An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phoroph ...

, in the ground and probably as a

lithophyte Lithophytes are plants that grow in or on rocks. They can be classified as either epilithic (or epipetric) or endolithic; epilithic lithophytes grow on the surfaces of rocks, while endolithic lithophytes grow in the crevices of rocks (and are also ...

in a variety of habitats, including humid forests, sand dunes and coastal rocks.

Conservation

When assessed in 2010, it was considered to be endangered. It occurred in five localities, only one of which was protected. The main threat was a decline in its habitat caused by deforestation as a result of expanding tourism, agriculture and development.

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q1034334 Rhipsalideae Flora of Northeast Brazil Flora of Southeast Brazil