the plants flower.

Epiphyllums have already "broken" from their original or wild
characters, and are, therefore, likely to yield distinct varieties from
the first sowing. In the forests which clothe the slopes of the Organ
Mountains, in Brazil, the Epiphyllums are found in great abundance,
growing upon the trunks and branches of large trees, and occasionally on
the ground or upon rocks, up to an elevation of 6000 ft. It was here that
Gardner, when travelling in South America, found E. truncatum growing in
great luxuriance, and along with it the species known as E.
Russellianum, which he sent to the Duke of Bedford's garden, at Woburn,
in 1839. These two species are the only ones now recognised by
botanists, all the other cultivated kinds being either varieties of, or
crosses raised from, them. The character by which Epiphyllums are
distinguished from other Cactuses, is their flattened, long, slender
branches, which are formed of succulent, green, leaf-like branchlets,
growing out of the ends of each other, to a length of from 3 ft. to 4 ft.
As in the majority of Cactuses, the stems of Epiphyllum become woody and
almost cylindrical with age, the axes of the branchlets swell out, and
the edges either disappear or remain attached, like a pair of wings.

Cultivation.--Epiphyllums require the temperature of an intermediate
house in winter, whilst, in summer, any position where they can be kept
a little close and moist, and be shaded from bright sunshine, will suit
them. Remembering that their habit, when wild, is to grow upon the
trunks of trees, where they would be afforded considerable shade by the
overhanging branches, we cannot be wrong in shading them from direct
sunshine during summer. Some growers recommend placing these plants in a
hot, dry house; but we have never seen good specimens cultivated under
such conditions. All through the summer months, the plants should be