Commemorating Frédérick Schlumberger of Château des Anthieux, near Rouen, a cactus collector and benefactor.
In nature epiphytic or growing on rocks, in horticulture ideally suited to pot and basket culture; stems mostly flattened, occasionally cylindrical, divided into segments with new flowers and segments developing at the tip. Spines mostly absent, occasionally short and bristly. Flowers apical, regular or bilaterally symmetrical, the base forming a distinct tube surrounded by petal-like scales, red, purple, pink or white; stamens united at the base to form a tube around the style and attached to the perianth tube; autumn. Fruit berry-like, spherical to obconic, sometimes ribbed. [Epiphyllanthus A. Berger, Epiphyllum of Pfeiff., Zygocactus K. Schum.]
Popular as house and patio plants and occasionally grown outside and in hanging baskets. There are various hybrids and many colour cultivars.
A range of hexaploid and octaploid plants was developed and released in the United States in 1988 and later imported to Australia and marketed as the Showcase Zygo® line. They have buds twice the size of the usual ones and colour at an earlier stage of development; when open the petals have rounder tips. The habit is more upright (not arching) and the segments are thicker and stiffer though not necessarily larger. At least 6 cultivars are available 'Bridgeport' (white), 'Cambridge' (yellow), 'Santa Cruz' (orange-red), 'Sanibel' (pale salmon), 'Pasadena' (red), and 'Windsor' (lavender). 'Aspen' is a recent introduction with white fringed petals.
Stems divided into distinct segments; flowers at the tips of the segments, bilaterally symmetrical the lowermost stamens forming a ring around the style.
5-6 species from SE Brazil.
Hunt (1969), Horobin (1985), Cobia (1992), McMillan &Horobin (1995).
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.