Confused About Cactus?
Have you ever had an up-close-and-personal look at the plants sold as 'holiday cacti'? Or has someone said, "That's a nice-looking Thanksgiving cactus" when speaking about the plant you treasure and had always believed to be a Christmas cactus?
More often than not, Thanksgiving cacti are often sold as “Christmas cacti,” and I agree that these two 'holiday' plants look similar in some regard. Upon closer inspection, however, they really are distinctively different.
Before we dig into those differences, though, did you know that the Thanksgiving species was a parent of the hybrid plant we know as Christmas cacti? That fact might be a good point to help us in understanding the reason these two are so often confused.
Using techniques similar to these two relatives, commercial growers can treat both types so as to cause them to bloom at a prescribed time for holiday sales. Unfortunately, this can mean that Thanksgiving cacti are often sold as Christmas cacti.
Both of these beauties fall in the genus Schlumbergera, have the same colour scheme and require the same basic care.
According to my studies, there are three main differences between a Christmas and Thanksgiving cactus. First, as already discussed, is the 'normal' flowering season, second, the segmentation of the leaves and finally, the appearance of the stems themselves.
True Christmas cacti (S. xbuckleyi) produce only flattened stems with smooth, rounded (scalloped) segmentation to the leaf edges. This is very much unlike that of Thanksgiving cacti (S. truncata) which have pointed and jagged leaf edges.
A third difference is seen in appearance as a whole ... Christmas cactus stems hang down like a pendant, but the Thanksgiving cactus's stems have an upright growth at first and then become arched.
As you look once more at the picture above of my cactus can you see these 3 attributes? Can you identify my plant as the Thanksgiving cactus? If you are still not quite sure perhaps this picture guide will help you further. So as to not add confusion please note that this blog post is not dealing with another Schlumbergera cactus, the Easter cactus although it is depicted below, as well.
I do hope this writing has helped to remove any confusion from your mind and has added a little more knowledge for you to use in your next cactus conversation! It is also my hope that you enjoy at least one of these beautiful, easy care and long-lived plants in your home!
"And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed,
and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself,
upon the earth: and it was so." (Genesis 1:11)
In closing, my friends, may our homes and hearts magnify Christ Jesus by giving God the highest glory in all that we choose to buy, plants included. In so doing, may it be that others might come to learn of our Heavenly Father's great love and compassion as shown toward us on that first Christmas and then on the cross of Calvary!
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