Holiday Cactus

The popular holiday cactus is a true cactus, even through its appearance is different from the desert cactus forms. Native to the Brazilian rain forest, these plants have wide, flattened green stems that look like leaves (called segments) and produce colorful flowers.

Hybridization has so extended the bloom period of these plants that the names Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter Cacti only give an indication of when they will start to bloom. One way to tell the difference between the species is to look at their segments.

The "Thanksgiving" cactus (Zygocactus truncatacor) is also called the "lobster claw" cactus because the leaf segments have points at the tips of the segments; the "Christmas" cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii) segments have smooth edges. The Easter cactus (Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri) has bristles on the sides of segments and at the tip of the terminal segments.

Red is no longer the only color found in holiday cactus. The color range extends from pure white forms through plants with varying shades of red and pink. You can also find cactus with peach, salmon, purple and orange flowers. Gold forms have also appeared recently.

Growing Cactus Indoors