Hatiora is a genus of five species with either cylindrical or flattened, segmented branches. Hatiora salicornioides is perhaps the easiest to grow and therefore best represented in horticulture. The common name of “Drunkard’s Dream” alludes to the charmingly bottle-shaped joints often held in a position that gives the impression they have emptied their contents in a bacchanalian binge. The forma bambusoides, on the other hand, seems to allude to a more benign passion. The subspecific epithet implies a resemblance to bamboo, if one uses some imagination, while the specific epithet implies a resemblance to coastal halophytes in the genus Salicornia, which is quite apt for the typical forms. The branching habit of cylindrical, jointed stems is much more Rhipsalis-like in forma bambusoides. We offer rooted cuttings of HBG 122705, a plant that came to us from Chad Husby at the Montgomery Botanical Center ex Leland Miyano in Hawaii. Miyano received his plant from renowned Brazilian landscape designer Roberto Burle Marx, who introduced many notable plants into horticulture. Unfortunately, the precise wild origins of this plant are unknown, but it is well worth growing for its interesting form ornamented with bright yellow flowers in spring. $8.
Published in the Cactus and Succulent Journal, Vol. 93 (2), Summer 2021