An anagram of the name Hariot, as the name Hariota was already established: commemorating Thomas Hariots a 16th century English botanist.
Plants naturally growing as epiphytes or on rocks; in horticulture often pendulous and suited to hanging baskets. Stems cylindrical, angled or flattened, segmented with the segments mostly less than 5 cm long. Spines absent or soft and bristly; new segments generally arising in clusters at the tips of old segments. Flowers symmetrical, bell-shaped, tube short, yellow, pink or red; spring. Pericarpel angled or cylindrical without scales, hair or spines. Fruit obovoid, naked. [Rhipsalidopsis]
Mostly grown as the species H. salicornioides (Haw.) Britton & Rose from SE Brazil which has the narrow-based segments arising in whorls of 2-6 and orange to yellow flowers.
The genus now includes Rhipsalidopsis.
Stem segments abruptly narrowed at the base.
5 species from SE Brazil.
Barthlott (1987).
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.
