Holiday Cacti

Is this a Christmas Cactus or What?

 

I was stunned when a couple of years ago I decided to put out an offer to trade something or another for 'Christmas cactus' cuttings.  I was soon bombarded: Do you mean a real Christmas cactus or a Thanksgiving cactus?  It was a surprise to me that the cactus most of us call the Christmas cactus is not—not a Christmas cactus that is.  To make matters worse, a few minutes reading material on the Internet convinced me that even the cactus experts don’t know a Christmas cactus from their elbow.  So what if I didn't?

I ended up for sure believing that this beautiful cactus must certainly be the most misunderstood plant in the gardening world.  There is so much misinformation on the web—and in related printed materials as well—anything one reads is likely to be different than the thing they last read and will almost certainly differ from the next. It's was no real surprise that the website of one of the major research universities has one of these beautiful cacti labeled in error as a Christmas cactus. 

Distinguishing between the major types of holiday cacti—as these cacti have more recently come to be known so that none of us look like we don't know one from the other—is not as difficult as it might seem.  For instance, you can tell the Thanksgiving cactus from the Christmas cactus in three ways. 

First, the Thanksgiving Cactus will almost certainly bloom a month or so earlier than the Christmas cactus—as early as October sometimes—but usually in late November or early December, depending on the environment in which it finds itself.  It's not surprising that Thanksgiving cacti are often called a Christmas cactus because they are likely to be in bloom soon before and during the Christmas holiday.  This works in favor of the growers, retailers, and florists who take pains to ensure that the cacti available to sell at the Christmas holiday are in full bloom.  It is uncertain that the real Christmas cactus would be that dependable. 

Second, the bloom on the Thanksgiving cactus is asymmetrical--if you look straight into the mouth of the bloom you will see that it is not perfectly round nor symmetrical.  The bloom sweeps downward, whereas the top of the Christmas cactus is perfectly round and has no slant to it.  Third and perhaps the most evident, the segments of the Thanksgiving plant have pointed 'teeth' along the edges of the flat jointed stem segments and at the terminal segment; on the other hand, the Christmas cactus segments are scalloped.

There are countless colors of Thanksgiving cacti—white, yellow, fuchsia, red, pink, lavender, peach, and orange, to name a few.  But there are variations in color; for instance, two yellow Thanksgiving cacti may not be exactly the same color, but almost. 

It may be  frustrating when one purchases a ‘red’ cactus only to find that it has white shanks, making it difficult to actually call it a true red cactus.  There are several specimen that are orangey red and many of those also have white shafts.  These seeming anomalies can be accounted for by cross-germination without documentation as to the genetic lineage of either parent or the offspring.

The cactus at left has blooms that are somewhat unique--the tips of the blooms are red but the shafts of the blooms are a striking fuchsia, almost neon color.  I would assume that this is a cross between a red cactus and a fuchsia one.  I’m not sure, since I didn’t do the actual propogating.

Holiday cacti do not like changes in humidity, light, or temperature.  Drafts and temperature extremes can cause the flower buds to drop from the plant before they have a chance to open. Therefore movements from the outside to indoors—and vice versa—needs to be done slowly and when the ambient temperature of the two locations are as similar as possible and that the transition be gradual.

The new grower should not be discouraged by what they have read here; there are real 'experts' on the Internet on the topics of cacti and succulents; verify what other people tell you and what they publish.  Only then can you begin count on them for information whenever you need it.