Holiday Cactus

Holiday Cactus

Plants of the Schlumbergera genus are often called Christmas cactus, supposedly because they have a tendency to bloom at Christmas time.  Many of mine apparently don’t understand how to read the calendar and are generally finished blooming by Christmas. 

Or, maybe it isn’t the plants that don’t understand.   There are different species of the Schlumbergera cacti group and they are all genetically predisposed to bloom at different times, although all generally within the September to March time frame. 

One commonly seen type is the “Truncata” group.  These are the plants with stem segments with “teeth”.  The stem segment is smooth on top but has a pronounced jagged edge.  The flowers are held more upright on the stem and the pollen of these flowers is yellow.  These are the earliest blooming of the Schlumbergera genus and are appropriately called “Thanksgiving Cactus”.  This plant has an upright growth habit rather than sprawling.   This is also the plant that is commonly marketed as “Christmas Cactus” because of its earlier bloom time.  Most of us plan our Christmas decorating well in advance of the holiday itself, and we are much more drawn to plants in full bloom.  So, along about Thanksgiving time, we see the gorgeous, fully blooming “Christmas” cactus start to arrive in the stores.  The problem is, they are often all done blooming by the time Christmas actually arrives and you have a nice, green plant but no flowers to make your home festive.

Another common type is the Buckleyi group which has rounded, symmetrical stem segments with less pronounced teeth.  This plant has a sprawling habit with pendulous stems that hang down over the edges of the planter.  The flowers will appear about 4 to 6 weeks after its earlier blooming cousin and will hang down from the stem segment.  The pollen of this type is pink.  This would be the true “Christmas” cactus type.

There is yet another holiday plant called Easter cactus or spring-blooming cactus, scientific name Rhipsalidopsis.  It is a different genus than its earlier blooming counterparts, but essentially grows the same way.  The Easter cactus has very smooth, rounded stem segments and tiny bristles at the end of each stem segment.  And, of course, true to its name, it blooms in spring, generally around late March or early April - Easter time.  The flower of the Easter cactus is more star shaped and grows upright from the stem segment.

The Schlumbergera, in proper conditions, will bloom twice a year, once in the fall and then again in early spring, which only adds to the confusion over whether the plant is a Thanksgiving , Christmas or Easter cactus.     Some people have given up trying to figure out which is which and just call them all “Holiday” cactus.  That works, since they all require the same basic care.  But, if you care about when your plant blooms, it is nice to know how to recognize which plant is likely to bloom for which holiday. 

Tomorrow we’ll talk about how to keep your holiday cactus happy and healthy.