Lepismium or Rhipsalis? The 60 Second “Look at the Stem” Test

If you’ve ever bought a “mistletoe cactus” and then immediately spiraled into a Google rabbit hole like, “Wait… what ARE you?” hi, welcome. You’re in good company.

Lepismium and Rhipsalis get mixed up constantly. Like, constantly constantly. I swear half the tags at regular nurseries are basically decorative at this point. The good news is you don’t need flowers, a botany degree, or a priest to perform an exorcism on your plant label.

You just need one quick stem check. It takes about a minute, and it’s weirdly satisfying like finding out your mystery charger actually fits your phone.

First: why the tag is probably lying to you

Sometimes it’s honest confusion. Sometimes it’s outdated names. Botanists have moved plants between these genera over the years, and nursery tags do not exactly update themselves overnight.

A super common example: Rhipsalis cruciformis is an older name you’ll still see floating around, but the accepted name is Lepismium cruciforme. So you can buy a plant with one name, then find ten websites insisting it’s the other, and suddenly you’re questioning reality.

Also: Rhipsalis is just more common in regular retail. Lepismium shows up, but it’s the “oh cool, you’re here!” guest at the party, not the host.

The 60 second test: stem shape + branching (that’s it)

Go grab your plant. I’ll wait. (Please don’t yank it out of the pot like you’re starting a lawnmower. Just gently pick up a segment.)

Here’s what you’re doing:

1) Check the stem shape (aka the “is it spaghetti?” question)

Hold a segment and look at it like you’re inspecting a rogue French fry.

• If it’s round: you can roll it between your fingers and it feels like a thin pencil, spaghetti, or a weird green wire? That’s Rhipsalis.
• If it’s flat/angled/twisty: it has broad “leafy” sides, obvious angles (like 3-5 edges), or it’s doing that dramatic spiral/hurricane thing? That’s Lepismium.

This alone often solves it.

2) Now look at how it branches (the real clincher)

Find a spot where your plant forks where one segment becomes two.

• Lepismium: often branches from the middle of a segment, which gives it a more organized, slightly tiered look (tiny Christmas tree energy).
• Rhipsalis: tends to branch from tips and kind of… wherever it feels like along older growth. The vibe is looser, messier, more “I woke up like this.”

If you remember nothing else, remember this:

Flat/angled + mid stem branching = Lepismium.
Round + tip/random branching = Rhipsalis.

But what if it’s a baby cutting (or just awkward looking)?

Sometimes young plants are like toddlers: all limbs, no manners, and it’s hard to tell what they’ll look like when they grow up.

If you’ve got a fresh cutting or a newly rooted baby, give it a little time 3 or 4 growth cycles is usually enough. New growth is your best clue because old stems can get beat up, corky, turning red or purple, or just generally weird.

Also: if the tag only says “jungle cactus” or “mistletoe cactus”… that is basically the plant version of writing “misc” on a storage bin. Not helpful. Assume you’ll be ID-ing it yourself at home (with this little stem test like the capable detective you are).

Flowers are a bonus confirmation (if your plant ever decides to bless you)

Indoors, these guys can be stingy about blooming. But if you do get flowers, it’s like the plant hands you its driver’s license.

• Lepismium: flowers tend to come from the edges/angles of the stem.
• Rhipsalis: flowers pop out from little bumps along the stem (areoles), and the overall “attachment point” is rounder.

If you never get blooms, don’t panic. The stem test is still the main event.

If the tag is wrong, your plant is still fine (your ego will recover)

Here’s the comforting part: a wrong label won’t hurt the plant. Lepismium and Rhipsalis like very similar care so you haven’t been accidentally mistreating it just because the tag was having an identity crisis.

The real reason to nail the name is so when you look stuff up mature size, bloom habits, specific species quirks you’re not getting info for its cousin.

Common ones you’ll actually see for sale

If you’re standing in a store trying to decide what you’ve got, these are the usual suspects:

Common Rhipsalis:

• Rhipsalis baccifera the classic “mistletoe cactus,” thin wiry strands, super common.
• Rhipsalis cereuscula the “coral cactus” look, with lots of tiny rice like segments clustered together.

Common Lepismium:

• Lepismium cruciforme flatter, angular segments.
• The twisty spiral form (often sold as a “hurricane cactus”) dramatic, extra, and usually priced accordingly.

(And yes, names shift over time. If you’re a label nerd like me, checking Plants of the World Online can help you see which names are current vs. synonyms.)

Quick care basics (because these are not desert cacti)

Just in case you’re treating this twisty spiral cactus like a prickly desert cactus and wondering why it’s sulking: these are forest cacti. Tropical-ish. They want “bright jungle understory,” not “bake me on a windowsill like a croissant.”

• Light: bright, indirect. Morning sun is okay. Harsh afternoon sun is not the vibe.
• Water: more than you think. Water when the top inch is dry don’t keep it swampy, but also don’t forget it exists for three weeks.
• Soil: airy and fast draining. I like a chunky mix (coco/peat + perlite + orchid bark works great).
• Humidity: they appreciate it, but they’re not royalty. If your house is super dry, they’ll be happier with a little boost.

Do this right now: look, snap a pic, and relabel

Go do the test under good light:

1. Is the stem round or flat/angled?
2. Does it branch from the middle (Lepismium) or mostly from tips/random points (Rhipsalis)?

Then take three quick photos for future you:

• the end of a segment (cross section clue)
• a close up of a branching point
• the full plant shape

Update the tag (or write a new one because that original tag clearly can’t be trusted) and enjoy the smug satisfaction of actually knowing what’s growing in your pot.