String of bananas vs Mistletoe cactus

Curio radicans · Rhipsalis baccifera

Pet safety: Mistletoe cactus is listed non-toxic to cats and dogs; String of bananas is toxic (pyrrolizidine alkaloids). If the two are sold under the same name, a mislabelled plant is a genuine risk in a house with animals.

Why these two get mixed up

Mistletoe cactus is recorded here as a pet-safe alternative to String of bananas, so the question is usually whether the swap is actually a fair one.

String of bananas (Curio radicans) — **String of bananas** — Curio radicans. Photograph by Diego Delso, Wikimedia Commons , CC BY-SA 3.0.

Mistletoe cactus (Rhipsalis baccifera) — **Mistletoe cactus** — Rhipsalis baccifera. Photograph by Raffi Kojian, Wikimedia Commons , CC BY-SA 3.0.

	String of bananas	Mistletoe cactus
Scientific name	Curio radicans	Rhipsalis baccifera
Family	Asteraceae	Cactaceae
Light floor	Bright indirect	Medium
Water	12–21 days	7–14 days
Humidity floor	20%	45%
Mature height	12–72 in	12–72 in
Habit	trailing	trailing
Growth rate	fast	moderate
Difficulty	Easy	Easy
Toxic to pets	Yes	No
Typical price	$12–35	$15–45

Highlighted cells are where the two actually differ. Everything else they share.

The differences that matter

Pet safety

This is the difference that matters most. Mistletoe cactus is listed non-toxic to cats and dogs; String of bananas is toxic (pyrrolizidine alkaloids). If the two are sold under the same name, a mislabelled plant is a genuine risk in a house with animals.

Light

Mistletoe cactus tolerates medium light; String of bananas needs bright-indirect as a floor. Put the second in the first's spot and it stretches and declines.

Watering

Mistletoe cactus wants water every 7–14 days, String of bananas every 12–21. On one shared watering schedule, one of them drowns.

Humidity

Mistletoe cactus wants a floor of 45%; String of bananas copes at 20%. In a heated room in winter that gap is the difference between crisp edges and none.

Not even related

String of bananas is Asteraceae, Mistletoe cactus is Cactaceae. They share a shop label and nothing else — different families, different continents, different care.

Which should you buy?

With a cat or dog in the house, take Mistletoe cactus. The other is toxic, and if the shop label is wrong you will not know which you have brought home.
In a dim room, take Mistletoe cactus.
If you forget to water, take String of bananas, which goes 16 days between drinks.
If it is your first plant, take Mistletoe cactus, at 1 of 5.
For a small shelf, take either.

Full entries

String of bananas — care fields with sources, toxicity with every authority consulted, propagation and diagnosis. Mistletoe cactus — the same.

Sources

This database's own care records for Curio radicans and Rhipsalis baccifera — every figure compared above.
Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Plants of the World Online — accepted names and families for Curio radicans and Rhipsalis baccifera
ASPCA Animal Poison Control — toxicity classification for both, cited on each species entry
Photographs: Wikimedia Commons, individually credited and licensed above

Compiled and edited by Tony Valcarcel · 2026-09-12
Every comparison above is drawn from a recorded field. Where the honest distinguisher is visual we show both photographs rather than describing a leaf we have no field for. How this is sourced.