I got some cuttings last fall, but a couple of the plants have grown out differently than the rest. These were all labeled Epi. Oxipetalum. Does the Oxipetalum grow with two different leaf forms, one flat and one triangular?

flat-leaf form


triangular form

First pic. looks like Epi. Oxypetallum
Second could any of the other large flowered hybrids. Many have both triangular and flat leaves.

Ok, thanks, Carol. So there are two leaf forms associated with the Oxypetallum. How peculiar, but then, I don't know a thing about these Epi. I will just leave them all labeled the same.

Your first 2 pics are E.Oxypetalum but the second 2 pics are definitely not and would be a day blooming epi hybrid of some sort.

Thanks Steve! I should have said first SET and second SET of pictures. Sorry if I confused you, Ken.

OK, so I guess I will never know since all I have are the labels that came with the cuttings. You are saying the Epi. Oxypetalum will present with only these triangular leaves (are they called three-lobed leaves?) and not flat leaves, right? I can tell you that one of these (flat leaved) plants has already bloomed, a night bloomer, and the flowers looked exactly like those I see posted of the Oxypetalum.

No, Ken. E. Oxypetalum is the one with the flat leaves. The day blooming Epi. hybrids have both, but the flat leaves on them are usually thicker than the E. oxy. The other night bloomers I'm not familiar with.

Ok! They say a picture is worth a thousand words.


Epi. Oxypetalum a 1/2 block from me in a 5gal. pot in full southern exposure. Last week when I drove by it had about 15 spent blooms hanging from it


Some of my day bloomers in baskets, afternoon western exposure. If you look closely, you can see the tri lobed leaves on the large basket, and on the Akermanii cross hanging from it

Good one Carol.
In fact I would say Ken's triangular grower could be Ackermannii hybridus...maybe.

OK, thanks for the clarification, Carol. That makes more sense. I am easily confused. Does the sun exposure make those leaves "white"?

I will take a look at info on the Ackermannii hybridus, Steve. Thanks.

Ken, the full sun makes the leaves yellow.
The Ackermanii hybridus is the small thorny one hanging from the 24" basket. The leaves are much narrower and darker green than the large NOID Epi. in the big basket. The big one , and some of my other Epis also have the triangular leaves. Maybe some dragon fruit in their genes?

Here are two others for example. Some start out triangular, then flatten out as they age.

My plant with the triangular lobed leaves have no thorns. There are very fine "hairs" in the notches, but that's it.

Since most Epis are hybrids, it just depends on the parentage. In those last two I posted, both are orange, large flowers from different sources. You can see the few fine thorns on the first one , but the second one has none.

Do I simply label this particular one, Ackermanii hybridus or something else?

NOID Epiphyllum, for now. You'll know more when it blooms. It's NOT Ackermanii hybridus ,I don't think. http://garden.org/thread/view_...

Got it. I will see what the flowers are then, whenever that event happens.

Yep,you can never be sure until you see a bloom.