Christmas Cactus

Christmas Cactus (Schlumbergera × buckleyi) is cherished for flowering during the darkest weeks of the year, producing a spectacular display of pink, red, white or occasionally purple blooms when most other houseplants are dormant. Unlike desert cacti, it is native to the cool, misty cloud forests of southeastern Brazil, where it grows as an epiphyte on tree branches and moss-covered rocks. In this humid environment, its flattened stems absorb moisture from frequent rainfall and humid air while its roots anchor into pockets of organic debris rather than soil. The Christmas Cactus familiar today is a Victorian hybrid developed in England during the mid-19th century by nurseryman William Buckley, who crossed two Brazilian Schlumbergera species to create a plant with graceful arching stems and flowers that bloom around Christmas in the Northern Hemisphere. Over time it became one of the world’s best-loved holiday houseplants and is often passed from one generation to the next. Many family plants have survived for decades, and some heirloom specimens are said to be more than 100 years old, flowering faithfully each winter.