Schlumbergera is a small genus of cacti with six species found in the coastal mountains of south-eastern Brazil. Plants grow on trees or rocks in habitats which are generally shady with high humidity and can be quite different in appearance from their desert-dwelling cousins. Most species of
Schlumbergera have stems which resemble leaf-like pads joined one to the other and flowers which appear from areoles at the joints and tips of the stems. Two species have cylindrical stems more similar to other cacti. In Brazil, the genus is referred to as
Flor de Maio (May flower), reflecting the period in which they flower in the Southern Hemisphere.
This genus contains the popular house plants known by a variety of names including Christmas Cactus, Thanksgiving Cactus, Crab Cactus and Holiday Cactus, which are
Schlumbergera cultivars, and flower in white, pink, yellow, orange, red or purple.
Here is my three-year-old Christmas Cactus, with beautiful pink and white flowers.
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