They grow on trees (epiphytes) or on rocks (lithophytes), where they either hang down or form creeping or upright shrubs.

[5] For example, in 1858 Charles Lemaire recognized the distinctiveness of the species then called Epiphyllum russellianum by creating the genus Schlumbergera.

[8] Molecular phylogenetic studies led to a slight modification of the approach taken by Barthlott and Taylor, since with their circumscriptions, Hatiora and Schlumbergera were not monophyletic.

The yellow shading shows species formerly placed in Hatiora, but which were placed by Calvente et al. in 2011 in a more broadly defined Schlumbergera,[9] and are placed in the genus Rhipsalidopsis by other sources.

Lepismium Rhipsalis The genera included in the tribe as of January 2023[update] are as follows,[9] with species counts based on Plants of the World Online: