The holiday season has here, which not only calls for decorations but also festive plants! At this time of year, there are many lovely holiday plants to pick from, whether they are bought from a florist, nursery, or are grown at home. The Christmas cactus is one of the most popular plants to give or receive at this time of year. Or is it a Thanksgiving or Easter cactus?
The three cacti differ from one another in terms of how their leaves are shaped. The edges of the leaves of the Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumgera truncata) are very sharply pointed and shaped like claws. The leaf projections of the Christmas cactus (Schlumgera bridgesti) are more scalloped or teardrop shaped. The edges of the leaves of the Easter cactus (Rhipsalidopsis gaertnerrii) are extremely rounded and centered.
These three cacti are all classified as short-day plants. Therefore, the plant needs low temperatures and 12–24 hours of darkness in order to bloom. If you overwintered your plant outside or bought it from a florist or nursery, you should keep it in a cold, dark place until the buds appear. The optimum location is an infrequently used bedroom or lower level. The Easter cactus gets its name from the fact that it takes 8–12 weeks of short days to bloom as opposed to the Christmas and Thanksgiving cacti’s roughly six weeks. It can be brought into a warmer environment once the buds start to form for your enjoyment. At this stage, a plant may occasionally start to lose its buds. That might be caused by air currents, warm temperatures, an abundance of water, or direct sunlight. Bright light is good for the plants, but not direct sunlight. Before watering, the soil should be completely dry to one inch below the surface. Fertilizing or repotting shouldn’t be done when the plant is in bloom. The plants appear to thrive when they are root-bound.
You might see the Christmas and Thanksgiving cactus bloom once more in the spring, though perhaps not as lavishly as over the holiday season. Simply restore the plant to its short day settings to promote springtime blooming.
Unless they are overwatered, these plants are generally disease-free. If the plant turns crimson, there is either too much sun, not enough phosphorus, or not enough water. There are rumors of plants that have been passed down from generation to generation for more than a century. Take advantage of these easygoing holiday plants and establish a new gardening custom. Call the Linn County Master Gardener Hortline at 319-447-0647 with any and all of your gardening inquiries.
How can you distinguish between an Easter cactus, a Christmas cactus, and a Thanksgiving cactus?
The leaves of the Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera truncata) have sharp protrusions that resemble crab claws. The leaves of the Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesti) have rounded or teardrop-shaped projections. The leaves of the Easter cactus (Schlumbergera gaertnerrii) have rounded edges.
What characteristics mark an Easter cactus?
The Christmas and Thanksgiving cacti have different leaves but the same flowers, as was already described. Easter cacti, on the other hand, have leaf margins that are smoother and devoid of notches and require a considerably longer cool and low light period in order to flower. Easter cactus plants have flat, star-shaped flowers that are simple to distinguish from the elongated blooms of the other holiday cacti.
Purple-brown anthers hang from the drooping flowers of the Christmas cactus. The blooms of the Thanksgiving cactus feature yellow anthers and develop parallel to the stalks.
All three plants have different hues, although red to fuchsia are the most typical. They come in white, orange, and yellow as well. No matter what they are called, holiday cactus are rather simple to grow and will bloom every year if they have their low temperature, low light period.
What distinguishes a Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter cactus?
Did you know that there are Thanksgiving Cactus and Easter Cactus variants in addition to the Christmas Cactus, which is a low-maintenance house plant with festive green and red colors?
These colorful cacti’s differences are so minute that they are frequently mistakenly sold as the same thing. Fortunately, the upkeep for each species is the same: moderate light and weekly watering.
The Schlumbergera genus includes all three varieties, according to Erin Marino, editorial director at The Sill. The true key to distinguishing between each species, according to her, is to look at the shape of the stem segments and pay attention to what season they are flowering. They are recognized by their leaf-like pads, or stem segments.
Their flowering season is referenced in each of their common names. Due to their back-to-back blooming times, the Thanksgiving Cactus (Schlumbergera truncata) and Christmas Cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesi) kinds are the two most frequently confused. Christmas Cacti bloom from January to February, while Thanksgiving Cacti usually bloom between November and December. Though some Thanksgiving Cacti will bloom closer to Christmas, Marino notes that houseplants can be pushed to bloom at any time. Early spring is when the Easter Cactus (Schlumbergera gaertneri) blooms, and it possesses the three plants’ most pronounced stem segment form differences.
The simplest way to distinguish between each variant, according to Marino, is to look at the shape of the stem segments rather than the blooming season due to the widespread confusion between the Thanksgiving and Christmas Cacti.
Thanksgiving cacti feature stem segments with pointy edges, but Christmas and Easter cacti have stem segments with rounded edges. Only a slight rounded border can be seen on Easter Cacti. | Photo: courtesy of The Sill
Of the three kinds, the Thanksgiving Cactus has the spikiest stem segments. The Easter Cactus has modest rounded edges on its stem segments, while the Christmas Cactus has less spikey pads with rounded edges. According to Marino, Easter Cacti occasionally have tiny hairs on their leaves.
Some retailers might name a Schlumbergera cactus as a “Holiday Cactus” to protect customers from mistaking the plants’ flowering seasons. The Thanksgiving Cactus is the species of Holiday Cactus that The Sill lists on its website.
Are Christmas and spring cacti the same thing?
You recently talked about Thanksgiving and Christmas cacti. Could you elaborate on the Easter cactus, the third plant you mentioned?
In addition to the previously mentioned Thanksgiving and Christmas species, an Easter cactus is sometimes referred to as a spring cactus, Rhipsalidopsis gaetneri, or Hatiora gaetneri. Easter cacti often bloom in the spring, close to Easter, in honor of their namesake.
All of the holiday cacti are native to South America’s tropics, where they can be found growing on trees in their natural state. Because of this, they all go by the label “jungle cactus” in addition to “holiday cacti.”
There are ways to distinguish an Easter cactus from the other holiday kinds despite how similar they are. The season of blooming is one simple technique to identify the species. Easter cactus flower in the spring, with flower buds first appearing in February and blooming from March until May. Thanksgiving and Christmas cacti often bloom one month earlier than Christmas cacti in the late fall or early winter.
Examining the edges of the leaf segments of the holiday cactus is another way to distinguish them, in addition to their various bloom seasons. Easter cacti are distinguished by the bristles that can be seen on the margins of their leaf segments. In the previous piece, I mentioned that Christmas cactus have smooth, round edges and Thanksgiving cacti have pointed, jagged ones. The spring variety’s flowers have a more star-like appearance, but they still have the vibrant hues that are common to all three species: reds, pinks, and purples, with some cultivars also showing a completely white blossom.
The same growing parameters apply to all holiday plants, which are shorter days, longer stretches of uninterrupted darkness to encourage flowering, and well-drained soil. One thing to think about is how much water they require, especially with Easter cacti. Overwatering can seriously harm plants and is especially harmful to Easter species. Prior to watering the plant, make sure the soil in the pot is dry.
All three offer stunning displays of vibrant, tropical beauty, sure to spread a little festive cheer throughout the holiday seasons, whether you select an Easter, Christmas, or Thanksgiving cactus. With the Spring Gardening Digital Value Pack, you can be sure that your garden will flourish in the spring.
With help from the Smart Gardening Techniques: Houseplants and Houseplants 2 book, learn how to maintain your indoor plants in good health.
Use the environmentally friendly Eco Watering Spouts, which come in eye-catching hues of lime green, hot pink, and orange, to water your indoor and outdoor plants.
Have more inquiries about how to recognize plants? You can confidently name plants with the help of The A to Z of Plant Names.
In Succulent Container Gardens, you may learn how to maintain lovely succulent plants, including other cacti, as stunning container gardens.
Are Easter and Christmas cacti the same plant?
The Schlumbergera family includes the Christmas and Thanksgiving cactus, therefore their histories are extremely similar. Both of these are tropical cactus from Brazil’s rainforests. They were found by Allen Cunningham in the early 19th century, and the genus was named in honor of an unusual botanist by the name of Frederic Schlumberger.
Schlumberger has six different species, many of which have special holiday names. Every plant has a name that refers to the season in which it blooms in the Northern Hemisphere. The Christmas cactus blooms a little bit later than the Thanksgiving cactus. However, since they both bloom in their native countries from April to May, neither term is used for them there.
The Hatiora family includes the Easter cactus. You’ll notice the difference in watering later because this succulent is also from Brazil, but it comes from the drier jungles. Sadly, not much is known about how the Easter cactus was discovered. However, the Christmas and Thanksgiving cacti are likely to be in season at the same time.
What three varieties of Christmas cacti are there?
Thanksgiving cactus, Christmas cactus, and Easter cactus are the three popular holiday cacti, each of which is called after the season in which its blooms occur. All three are straightforward to cultivate and have comparable growth patterns and maintenance needs.
Today’s holiday cactus variations are available in magenta, pink, scarlet, as well as yellow, white, orange, purple, salmon, and apricot, however these well-known cacti are typically only available in red-hued hues. The Thanksgiving and Christmas cacti are tropical rain forest species, while the Easter cactus is indigenous to Brazil’s natural woods. All three are endemic to Brazil.
What distinguishes Christmas cactus from counterfeit Christmas cactus?
My mother used to refer to her Christmas cactus as a Thanksgiving cactus since it would be fully bloomed by the end of November when I was a child. I was a good boy and never questioned or challenged Mom. Mom was correct, and that was twenty or so years and a couple advanced degrees later. Schlumbergera truncata, the well-liked plant that is currently showing up in garden centers for the holiday season, is also known as the Thanksgiving or false Christmas cactus.
We must delve farther into the passionate love affair with the Christmas cactus in order to overcome this deceit. When we turn the clock 177 years back to 1840s England, we find William Buckley, a committed gardener, and his experiment of a Schlumbergera hybrid between two species. He combined S. truncata with S. russelliana to produce the S. x buckleyi hybrid, which was known as the real Christmas cactus. As you read this at home, you might be tempted to quickly explore the internet. If you do, you might find some outdated literature that refers to this cross incorrectly as S. bridgesii, which would add another degree of dishonesty. There are certainly some older works of literature that use Zygocactus as the genus.
You need to know a few more things at this point because you are horrifiedly staring at your fake Christmas cactus and unsure of where to look for the real one. You need to know a little bit about botany and it is difficult to pick out the imposters. The Schlumbergera’s “leaves” are actually flattened stalks known as cladophyll (phylloclades by some botanist). The faux Christmas cactus will have stems with an open branch habit and soft points or teeth around the borders. These points are simply a part of the stem that is heavily lobed; they are not spines. False Christmas cactus flowers will be cheerful and vibrant in hues of pink, white, peach, and salmon. They will be held for around 5 to 7 days at the tip of the stems, pointing slightly upward. Additionally, the blossoms will appear somewhat horizontal or flat. The stems of the genuine Christmas cactus will significantly arch downward and have a closed habit. The stems will have rounded edges with tiny, discernible points or nubs. The blossoms of a genuine Christmas cactus will be more spherical than those of an impostor, point downward, and follow the stem’s orientation. Reds, pinks, and carmine will be the colors.
You might come across the Easter cactus Rhipsalidopsis gaeteneri, a close relative of Schlumbergera as you go out on your quest to find the genuine Christmas cactus. You’ll be relieved to learn that they are rarely provided and have little financial significance in the garden retail sector. Additionally, as their name suggests, they bloom in the spring. However, if you do come upon one, what’s another plant, right?
Last but not least, I’m sure you read this article and only glanced at the genus name since, like me, you find it difficult to say (shlum-BER-ger-uh), and I doubt that did anything to assist. Just some quick information The Cactaceae family of real cactus includes the Schlumbergera, which thrives in environments that we typically do not connect with cacti. They inhabit trees like orchids and are found deep within South America’s tropical rainforest.
Wishing you luck on your exploration and do let me know if you add a genuine Christmas cactus to your collection.