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Look at their bloom color and the way the flower blooms: Many of the plants available for sale are hybrid crosses of Christmas and Thanksgiving cacti (Schlumbergera x buckleyi) that come in a rainbow of exotic colors including orange, purple, yellow, red, pink, white, and two-tones. More Ways to Tell a Christmas Cactus from a Thanksgiving Cactus Their star-shaped petals open at sunrise and close at sunset and last for several weeks.
![thanksgiving cactus thanksgiving cactus](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/85/f3/cc/85f3cc954bc79adb01713cc2b8362ef8.jpg)
If you find that your holiday cactus has spring flowers, it may very well be an Easter cactus (Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri) blooms in late winter and spring, often from March until May.Īlso called a “Spring Cactus,” the Easter Cactus has flaring, trumpet-shaped flowers with pointy petals which are usually pink, but can also come in red, orange, and other cherry colors. Photo: Thanksgiving Cactus growing in garden center. Its leaf segments are square shaped with pointed hooks on one end and along the sides like pincers, giving rise to its common name “crab cactus.” It is native to Brazil, where its 2 to 3 inch long, satiny flowers are pollinated by hummingbirds. Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera truncata) typically blooms between mid-November and late December, sometimes through January. Just pinch off a “Y” shaped piece from one of the branches and stick it in a pot of sterile soil or vermiculite. I have a plant that came from one my mother-in-law grew from a cutting she received over 70 years ago! They are the ultimate pass-along plant since they are so easy to root. Christmas CactusĬhristmas cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii) is the long-lived plant our grandmothers grew. Thanksgiving and Christmas cacti are members of the genus Schlumbergera, while the Easter cactus is in the genus Rhipsalidopsis, which grows in drier forests. The holiday designations reflect when the different cacti bloom in North America! Holiday cacti such as the Christmas cactus, Thanksgiving cactus, and Easter cactus are hybrids of Brazilian forest cacti. See HGIC 1554, Thanksgiving & Christmas Cacti for more detailed information on the care and propagation of these popular holiday plants.įor more information on other holiday houseplants, please see HGIC 1561, Poinsettia, HGIC 1551, Amaryllis, HGIC 1564, Cyclamen, and HGIC 1563, Kalanchoe.
![thanksgiving cactus thanksgiving cactus](https://www.goldcliffgardencentre.co.uk/files/images/news/how-to-care-for-a-christmas-cactus-1578381401_n.jpg)
If something should happen to the mother plant, I will still have a piece of it and the treasured memories it holds. Last year, I pinched several sections containing 3-5 stem segments, allowed them to callus, and placed them in well-drained potting soil.
![thanksgiving cactus thanksgiving cactus](http://www.whatgrowsthere.com/grow/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/IMG_5213.jpg)
One great characteristic of holiday cacti is the ease of propagation. The anther, which bears the pollen, is yellow on a Thanksgiving cactus but purplish-brown on the Christmas cactus.The stem segments (phylloclades) on the Thanksgiving cactus have distinctly pointed edges, while stem segments of the Christmas cactus are more rounded.In addition to the timing of flowering, there are other features that distinguish the two. In fact, most of the plants I see adorning store shelves at this time of the year are Thanksgiving cacti, even if the tags say otherwise. The time of flowering is a clue that this treasured plant is not actually a Christmas cactus ( Schlumbergera x buckleyi), but is instead a Thanksgiving cactus ( Schlumbergera truncata). It still graces us with beautiful magenta flowers around Thanksgiving. Thankfully, I had decided to do some landscaping while they were gone and discovered the sad-looking cactus before it was too late. My grandparents were traveling for an extended period and accidentally put the cactus in the outdoor shed in the middle of summer. About 15 years ago, I purchased what I thought was a Christmas cactus for my grandparents (Nan and Pop), and it’s still around today despite a near-death experience one summer. The holidays are often associated with particular plants such as Poinsettias, Cyclamen, and paperwhites, but my favorite group of plants is the holiday cacti.