In both cases, the areoles, which may have wool and bristles, are where the flower buds appear. In two species the stems are less flattened, more cylinder-shaped, and the areoles are arranged in a more or less spiral pattern all over the segments. Special structures characteristic of cacti, called " areoles", then occur at the ends of the segments of the stem. In most species the segments are strongly flattened ( cladodes), being made up of a central core with two (or more rarely three) "wings". The stems are composed of segments, which take one of two forms. They are leafless, the green stems acting as photosynthetic organs. In the wild, the species of Schlumbergera grow either on trees ( epiphytic) or on rocks ( epilithic) and can form sizeable shrubs with woody bases a height of up to 1.2 m (4 ft) has been reported for one species ( S. Truncata Group, cut in half to show its internal structure Zygomorphic flower, probably of a cultivar in the S. They generally flower later than members of the Truncata Group and are more likely to be called Christmas cactus. russelliana: stem segments with rounded, more symmetrical teeth more or less symmetrical (regular) flowers which hang down, below the horizontal and pollen which is pink.
The Easter cactus or Whitsun cactus, placed in the genus Rhipsalidopsis, is also called a holiday cactus and has flowers in red, orange, pink and white. Most of the popular houseplants are cultivars of Schlumbergera, rather than species, with flowers in white, pink, yellow, orange, red or purple. In Brazil, the genus is referred to as Flor de Maio (May flower), reflecting the period in which they flower in the Southern Hemisphere. In the Northern Hemisphere, they are called Christmas cactus, Thanksgiving cactus, crab cactus and holiday cactus. Two species have cylindrical stems more similar to other cacti.Ĭommon names for these cacti generally refer to their flowering season. 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.
These plants grow on trees or rocks in habitats that are generally shady with high humidity, and can be quite different in appearance from their desert-dwelling cousins. Schlumbergera is a small genus of cacti with six to nine species found in the coastal mountains of south-eastern Brazil. Cultivar belonging to the Schlumbergera Truncata Group
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