The common holiday cacti (Thanksgiving Cactus, Christmas Cactus, Easter Cactus) have many Latin names, but are closely related. They are originally forest cacti, growing as epiphytes at elevations between 1000 and 1700 meters in the Organ Mountains north of Rio de Janeiro in southeast Brazil, South America.
Many modern holiday cactus cultivars are hybrids between Schlumbergera truncata and Schlumbergera russelliana, first bred about 150 years ago in England. The original plants grow.
- Christmas Cactus, (Schlumbergera bridgesii, Schlumbergera x buckleyi, Epiphyllum x buckleyi ).
- Thanksgiving Cactus, Yoke Cactus, Linkleaf Cactus, Crab Cactus, Claw Cactus, (Schlumbergera truncata, formerly Zygocactus truncatus).
- Easter Cactus, (Schlumbergera gaertneri - formerly Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri).
One flaw of the holiday cacti is that the joints of the plants are quite fragile and can break apart if the plant is in poor health. The flower buds' joints are especially easy to detach.
Other synonyms include Epiphyllum altensteinii, Schlumbergera truncata var. altensteinii, Zygocactus truncatus var. altensteinii, Epiphyllum bridgesii, Epiphyllum truncatum var. bridgesii, Zygocactus bridgesii, Epiphyllum delicatum, Schlumbergera truncata var. delicata, Zygocactus delicatus, Epiphyllum ruckeri, Epiphyllum ruckerianum, Cactus truncatus, Epiphyllum truncatum.
Propagation
Holiday cacti can be propagated quite easily by removing a single segment and planting it a quarter of its length deep in a pot filled with slightly sandy soil. Place the pot in a well lit area (but not direct sunlight) and keep the soil moist. The cutting should begin showing signs of growth after two or three weeks.
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