Wikimedia Commons
Cactaceae
Christmas Cactus
Schlumbergera × buckleyi
Loyalty, family, holiday joy.
- Family
- Cactaceae
- Genus
- Schlumbergera
- Native to
- Coastal mountains of southeastern Brazil
- Bloom season
- Winter
- Type
- Epiphytic cactus
- Height
- 30–60 cm
- Sunlight
- Bright indirect light
- Soil
- Well-drained, humus-rich
- Water
- Moderate; reduce when dormant
- Hardiness
- 10–12
- Lifespan
- Often passed down 50+ years through families
Did you know
- Christmas cactus is one of the most heirloom-friendly houseplants — many specimens grown today were started from cuttings of plants owned by great-grandmothers in the early 1900s.
- Despite the name, it's not from a desert — it's an epiphyte from Brazilian cloud forests, growing on tree branches in cool, humid conditions.
- The flowers are pollinated by hummingbirds in the wild, which is why the long tubular blooms are bright red and pink.
- Bloom timing is triggered by long nights — 14+ hours of total darkness for 6 weeks signals the plant to set buds.
- True Christmas cactus has rounded scalloped segments; the more common 'Thanksgiving cactus' (Schlumbergera truncata) has pointed teeth on each segment.
Color meanings
Pink
Love passed through generations