Greek aporos—hard to deal with, alluding to the complexities of cactus nomenclature and classification.
In nature the body creeps over plants or rocks and therefore it is a trailing plant suitable for hanging baskets; occasionally with aerial roots. Stems cylindrical and narrow with 7-12 ribs. Spines bristly. Flowers diurnal, tubular to funnel-shaped, bilaterally symmetric and brightly coloured; spring. Pericarpel and floral tube with scales and bristles. Fruit fleshy, red.
It appears likely that this genus will shortly be united with Disocactus. The commonly cultivated species is A. flagelliformis (L.) Lem. [A. flagriformis (Pfeiff.) Britton & Rose] from Mexico (Hidalgo) which has magenta flowers with a curved tube; it is sometimess available as the contorted, crested cultivar 'Cristata'.
Cultivated hybrids between Aporocactus and Epiphyllum, placed in the intergeneric hybrid ×Aporophyllum, have produced some spectacular cultivars.
Long, trailing stems with 7-12 ribs.
2 species from Mexico.
Hunt (1989).
Source: (1997). Cactaceae. In: . Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 2. Flowering plants. Dicotyledons. Part 1. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.
