Another Holiday Bloomer: The Christmas Cactus
While shopping the other day I came across this beautiful plant about to bloom with the brightest pink flowers which really made me smile on an otherwise dreary winter day. I recognized this plant as the Christmas Cactus.
The scientific name for the Christmas cactus is Schlumbergera x buckleyi. Here’s the interesting news. When I was looking up the scientific name for this plant I realized that I did not buy Schlumbergera x buckleyi. Instead, I bought Schlumbergera truncata also known at the Thanksgiving cactus. Upon further research I found that the majority of plants sold as the Christmas cactus are actually the Thanksgiving cactus.
Outside of the fact that the Thanksgiving cactus normally blooms around Thanksgiving, and my is just starting to bloom, there is another key feature that distinguishes the two. The stem or what looks like the leaf segments on the Thanksgiving cactus have distinct pointed edges while the true Christmas cactus is more scalloped and round as shown above.
o, if you know anyone who has had a “Christmas cactus” and it always blooms too early, you may now know the reason why. I’ll have to see what happens next year. In the meantime I found that this plant likes cool temps, enjoys being pot bound and indirect light. Also, it should be allowed to dry out between watering but will thrive with a daily misting. If you are a traditional red lover no worries. This plant comes in red, peach, white, cream and purple. Lastly according the The Old Farmer’s Almanac a properly cared for cactus can life for 20-30 years. That quite a good bang for your buck.
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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3 comments
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No matter when they bloom, the members of this genus make wonderful houseplants. And some of them have spectacularly showy blooms.
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Well, I'll be. I think this is what I just purchased. Beautiful anyway.
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