You probably bought it at a grocery store in December. It was labeled "Christmas Cactus," but honestly, it’s probably lying to you. Most of the plants sold during the holidays are actually Thanksgiving cactuses, and while that might seem like a nitpicky distinction, it actually changes how you care for the thing. These plants are tropical epiphytes. They aren't desert dwellers. They live in the Brazilian rainforests, clinging to tree branches like orchids.
If you’ve ever wondered why your plant blooms in November or why the leaves look like little serrated crab claws instead of smooth teardrops, you’ve stumbled into the weird world of the Schlumbergera genus. There are actually several different types of Christmas cactuses—or rather, holiday cactuses—and telling them apart is mostly about looking at the "teeth" on their stems.
These plants can live for decades. Some families pass them down for three or four generations. I’ve seen specimens the size of a coffee table that have been around since the Nixon administration. But to get that kind of longevity, you have to know what you’re actually holding in your hands.
The Great Holiday Cactus Identity Crisis
Most people just lump them all together. It's easier. But botanically, we are looking at three main players: the Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera truncata), the true Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera x buckleyi), and the Easter cactus (Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri).
The Thanksgiving variety is the one you see everywhere. Why? Because it’s easier to ship and blooms right when people start holiday shopping. It has very pointy, hook-like projections on the edges of its stem segments (phylloclades). If you run your finger along the edge and it feels like it could almost snag your skin, that’s a truncata.
Then you have the true Christmas cactus. This is a hybrid. It’s actually harder to find in big-box stores these days. Its segments are much smoother. They’re rounded, or maybe slightly scalloped, but they definitely don't have those aggressive spikes. When it blooms, the flowers hang down straight, whereas the Thanksgiving type has flowers that grow horizontally and look a bit like a "double" flower.
The Easter cactus is the outlier. It’s a different genus entirely. Its segments have tiny bristles at the ends, and the flowers are star-shaped rather than the long, tubular bells of the winter varieties.
Why the naming is so messy
Retailers aren't exactly known for botanical precision. They want to sell a "Christmas" plant in December, even if that plant naturally peaks three weeks earlier. This leads to a lot of confusion when a "Christmas" cactus starts dropping its buds on November 15th. You didn't necessarily do anything wrong; your plant is just following its internal clock.
The Nuance of Different Types of Christmas Cactuses
When we talk about the different types of Christmas cactuses, we are usually talking about the Buckleyi group. These were created in the mid-1800s by William Buckley at the Rollisson Nursery in England. He crossed S. russelliana and S. truncata.
The result was a plant with pendulous branches. Unlike the Thanksgiving cactus, which tends to grow more upright and bushy, the true Christmas cactus flops. It wants to hang. This makes it perfect for hanging baskets. If you put it on a flat table, it eventually looks like a green waterfall.
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Identifying by the Anthers
If you want to be a real nerd about it, look at the pollen.
- Thanksgiving Cactus: Usually has yellow anthers.
- Christmas Cactus: Usually has pink or purplish anthers.
It’s a tiny detail, but for collectors, it’s the "smoking gun" of identification.
The Rare Wild Species
Beyond the hybrids, there are wild species like Schlumbergera opuntioides. It looks bizarrely like a tiny prickly pear cactus, with pads covered in small spines, but it still produces those stunning magenta flowers. Then there’s Schlumbergera orssichiana, which has massive flowers and is often used to create the "Queen" hybrids you might see in specialty catalogs. These aren't your average windowsill plants. They’re finicky. They demand high humidity and very specific temperature drops to trigger their blooms.
How to Actually Make Them Bloom
The biggest complaint people have is that their plant looks healthy but refuses to flower. These plants are "thermo-photoperiodic." That’s a fancy way of saying they react to both light and temperature.
To get a Schlumbergera to set buds, it needs roughly 12 to 14 hours of total darkness. I’m talking "closet" dark. If you have a streetlamp outside your window or you leave a reading lamp on in the room, it might be enough to trick the plant into thinking it’s still summer.
Temperature is the other lever. If you can drop the room temp to about 55°F to 60°F (13°C to 15°C) at night, you almost don't even need the darkness trick. The cold stress triggers the survival mechanism that leads to flowering.
Common Pitfalls
- Overwatering: They’re tropical, yes, but they aren't water lilies. If the soil stays soggy, the roots rot. Wait until the top inch of soil is dry.
- Bud Drop: This is heartbreaking. You see dozens of tiny buds, and then one morning, they’re all on the floor. This usually happens because of a sudden change in environment. A draft from a heater, a cold breeze from a door, or even just moving the pot to a different room can cause the plant to freak out and dump its buds.
- Too Much Sun: In the wild, they live under a forest canopy. Direct, scorching afternoon sun will turn the segments a weird reddish color. That’s essentially a plant sunburn. They prefer bright, filtered light.
Soil and Potting Secrets
Stop using standard potting soil. It’s too heavy. It suffocates the roots of an epiphyte.
You want a mix that breathes. I usually recommend a blend of regular potting soil, orchid bark, and perlite. Some people even add a bit of peat moss. You want the water to run right through the pot. If it takes more than a few seconds for water to come out the bottom, your soil is too dense.
And don't over-pot them. These cactuses actually like being slightly root-bound. They seem to bloom better when their roots are a bit snug. If you move a small plant into a massive pot, the extra soil holds onto too much moisture, and you’re asking for fungus gnats and root rot.
Propagation: The Gift That Keeps Giving
One of the coolest things about the different types of Christmas cactuses is how easy they are to clone. You don’t need rooting hormone. You don't need a greenhouse.
Just take a cutting of two or three segments. Let it sit on your counter for a day or two so the "wound" callouses over. If you stick a wet cutting directly into soil, it’ll probably just rot. Once it’s dry at the break point, poke it into some damp sand or potting mix.
Give it a few weeks. Don’t tug on it. Eventually, you’ll see new, tiny light-green leaves (segments) budding out of the top. Congrats, you just made a Christmas present for someone.
Summary of Key Differences
To keep it simple when you're at the garden center:
- Thanksgiving (S. truncata): Pointy teeth, yellow pollen, grows upright, blooms Nov/Dec.
- Christmas (S. x buckleyi): Rounded/scalloped edges, pink pollen, hangs down, blooms Dec/Jan.
- Easter (Rhipsalidopsis): Flat, rounded segments with tiny bristles, star-shaped flowers, blooms March/April.
Actionable Steps for Success
If you want your cactus to thrive for the next fifty years, start with these three things:
- Check the segments today. If they have sharp points, treat it as a Thanksgiving variety and expect earlier blooms. If they are smooth, it’s a Christmas variety and will need more support as it grows pendulous.
- Move the plant in September. To ensure holiday flowers, move the plant to a cooler room that isn't used at night starting in late September. This guarantees the dark hours it needs.
- Fertilize weakly, weekly. During the growing season (spring and summer), use a balanced water-soluble fertilizer at half-strength. Stop fertilizing in October when the plant enters its "rest" phase before blooming.
- Humidity is key. If your house is dry in the winter, set the pot on a tray of pebbles filled with water. Just make sure the bottom of the pot isn't actually sitting in the water.
By understanding which specific type you have, you stop fighting the plant's natural rhythm and start working with it. These plants aren't just decor; they’re living heirlooms that just happen to have some of the most spectacular flowers in the botanical world.