Thanksgiving Cactus versus Christmas Cactus

You have probably heard of the Christmas cactus, but did you know that there is also a Thanksgiving cactus? I learned recently that my plant (shown in the picture) wasn't what I thought it was.

Years ago, I was visiting my friend, she had a beautiful plant in her kitchen bay window when I asked what it was, she told me a Christmas cactus. So, I took some cuttings home and transplanted them. It has done quite well as you can see.  Recently, I shared this picture with another friend, and she asked if it was a Christmas one or Thanksgiving one. I never knew a Thanksgiving one existed, so I researched it.

Both Christmas and Thanksgiving cacti are in the genus Schlumbergera and are native to the tropical forests of Brazil.[1] The flowers of the Thanksgiving cactus and its relatives are produced from the tips, or from where the leaf segments join. They're quite unusual, resembling a long tube of a couple of inches, appearing as if a flower within a flower.  Tops are different from the bottoms of each flower, termed “zygomorphic”. Flowers come in a range of colors, mostly pastels, including variations of red, pink, peach, purple, orange, or white.

I discovered that you could tell the Thanksgiving cactus apart from the Christmas cactus from the shape of its leaves.[2] The leaf segments, are serrated or "toothed" on the former as compared to the more rounded leaf margins of the Christmas cactus (see picture). Also, the pollen-bearing anthers—those on the former are yellow, those of the Christmas cactus are pink to purplish-brown. So, turns out I have a Thanksgiving cactus.    

 

[1] thanksgiving-cactus-plant

[2] Thanksgiving Cactus (uvm.edu)

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