This study aimed at characterizing the stem of seven epiphytes species of Cactaceae: Epiphyllum phyllanthus, Hatiora salicornioides, Lepismium cruciforme, L. warmingianum, Rhipsalis baccifera, R. cereuscula and R. sulcata, from a fragment of Seasonal Semidecidual Forest in Maringá, northwest of the State of Paraná. Most species had stems covered by thick cuticle sometimes with an adjacent epicuticular layer. They showed parallelocytic stomata, frequently sunken in the epidermis. Underlying, they are 1-3 layers of collenchymatous hypoderm and a great proportion of cortical parenchyma, presenting mucilaginous and crystalliferous cells. The central cylinder has the vascular bundles forming a concentric ring, always with cap of fibers in the phloem pole, and the pith can be or not sclerified. Starch and lipid substances are the main storage compounds of these plants.
Epiphyllum; Hatiora; Lepismium; Rhipsalis
