Echinopsis pachanoi
The San Pedro cactus is very easy to grow in most areas. Because it grows naturally in the Peruvian Andes Mountains at high altitude and with high rainfall, it can withstand temperatures far below that of many other cacti. It requires fertile, free-draining soil. They average half a meter per year of new growth. They are susceptible to fungal diseases if over-watered, but are not nearly as sensitive as many other cacti, especially in warm weather. They can be sunburned and display a yellowing chlorotic reaction to overexposure to sunlight.
Rhipsalis quellebambensis
The appearance of "Rhipsalis quellebambensis" is consistent with that of a cactus in many ways. Like most members of the Cactaceae family, the leaves and shoots are succulent and able to store water and sugars. The stems are highly segmented, terete, and can grow up to 2 meters in length. Anywhere that a node comes into contact with any kind of substrate, bark or soil, roots emerge from that node. The internodes in "R. quellebambensis" are larger than that in most desert Cactaceae family members. The stem segments are flattened and are the site of photosynthesis within the plant. "R. quellebambensis" stems branch by forking at a node into two or more shoots. "R. quellebambensis" produces many light pink to white flowers that stay open for a long time at the end of each shoot, but only opens a small number of new flowers each night that contain a nectar reward for pollinators. "Rhipsalis quellebambensis" can be pollinated by hummingbirds that can also give the plants mites that damage the plant. This results in only a few flowers having nectar and ready for pollination each night. If pollinated, a fleshy red fruit then develops that houses multiple small black seeds. In order for the seeds to germinate though, the fruit must become overly ripe and can not be ingested by an animal. In captivity, the most common form of propigation is through stem cuttings. R. quellebambensis is also a CAM plant. This method of photosynthesis allows this species to cope with the dry environment it endures in the canopy by making it more water efficient. Studies have shown that water loss for "R. quellebambensis" is dramatically less than water loss by C3 plants such as ferns. "R. quellebambensis" can also store significant amounts of water during wet times in its bulb and stem and save it for later use. This allows the species to survive in full sun areas that are more productive where other species of epiphytes would dry out.