I decided to look up information about Christmas Cactus because there was some comments made on Facebook about their plants are blooming. It probably is a Thanksgiving Cactus but it is in the same family. Here is how you tell them apart, and then you know.
Christmas cactus
(Schlumbergera Xbuckleyi) has scalloped leaf margins and whorls of satiny flowers that dangle from segmented stems, which resemble leaves. It is sometimes called zygocactus or holiday cactus. The true Christmas cactus usually does not bloom until mid-December; many plants sold as Christmas cactus are actually Thanksgiving cactus.
Thanksgiving cactus
(Schlumbergera truncata) blooms several weeks earlier than Christmas cactus. It has 2 to 4 pointed teeth along the margins of stem segments. It is also known as crab cactus.
Thanksgiving & Christmas Cacti
Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera truncata) and Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii) are popular, fall- and winter-flowering houseplants native to Brazil, and are available in a wide variety of colors including red, rose, purple, lavender, peach, orange, cream, and white. These Schlumbergera species grow as epiphytes among tree branches in shady rain forests, and their pendulous stems make them a great choice for hanging baskets.
When grown under normal night length conditions, Thanksgiving cacti normally flower near Thanksgiving approximately a month before Christmas cacti bloom. Another member of the group sold as holiday cacti is the Easter cactus (Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri), which flowers primarily in the spring and sporadically throughout the year with pink or red flowers. Because of its bloom time, the Thanksgiving cactus is most predominately encountered for sale during the winter holiday season. Flowering can last up 7 to 8 weeks if the plants are kept at 68 ºF.
To distinguish between the Thanksgiving and Christmas cacti, look at the shape of the flattened stem segments, which are botanically called phylloclades. On the Thanksgiving cactus, these stem segments each have 2 to 4 saw-toothed serrations or projections along the margins. The stem margins on the Christmas cactus are more rounded. Note that there are no true leaves on either of these holiday cacti, so photosynthesis occurs within the green phylloclades.
A second method to distinguish between these two Schlumbergera species is based on the color of the pollen bearing anthers. The anthers of the Thanksgiving cactus are yellow, whereas the anthers on the Christmas cactus are purplish-brown. Hope this is helpful.
James Blake, ©2011 HGIC, Clemson Extension
Taken from HGIC 2251, Houseplant Diseases & Disorders.
Revised by Joey Williamson, HGIC Horticulture Extension Agent, Clemson University (11/11). Originally prepared by Nancy Doubrava, HGIC Horticulture Specialist and Al Pertuit, Extension Floriculture Specialist, Clemson University. New 05/99. Image added
It doesn't matter because they have the same blooms but knowledge is important, and sometimes interesting.
I will post more about Care of Christmas Cactus if I see there is interested from the blog page. Till next time, this is Becky Litterer from Becky's Greenhouse, Dougherty
