Is that really a Christmas cactus? How to spot the difference before you buy (and choose a healthy plant)
It turns out my Nan didn’t own a Christmas cactus after all: Here’s the easy way to tell them apart.
When shopping for holiday cacti at your local garden center during the spooky season, it's easy to confuse the Christmas cactus with the Thanksgiving variety, as they share a similar appearance and bloom around the same time. However, there's also an Easter cactus to consider. To help you spot the differences, here's what you need to know about each type of holiday cactus.
The Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera truncata) features an upright growth habit and leaf segments with defined, serrated edges, resembling tiny teeth. The plant comes in various colors, such as red, pink, orange, or white, and its blooms face upward or horizontally. Blooming begins in November, making it a timely choice for Thanksgiving gifts.
In contrast, the Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera x buckleyi) boasts smoother, scalloped leaf edges with a cascading growth habit, with stems trailing over the pot's edge. Its color options are limited to purplish-red flowers, and blooming typically starts at the end of November, making it more suitable for Christmas presents.
The Easter cactus (Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri) is the third type of holiday cactus. Unlike its Thanksgiving and Christmas counterparts, which belong to the Schlumbergera genus, the Easter cactus is part of the Rhipsalidopsis genus. It can be identified by its more rounded segments and star-shaped blooms, usually in pink, red, orange, white, or purplish hues. Unlike the other two, Easter cacti typically bloom in the spring, several months after the other two.
Written by urgent.news from Tom's Guide's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
