Types of Christmas Cactus: Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter

There are three types of plants sold as Christmas cactus: the Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera truncata), the true Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera x buckleyi) and the Easter cactus (Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri). The first two share a genus and are cared for the same way; the Easter cactus belongs to a different genus and blooms in spring. Within these groups Wisconsin Horticulture counts well over a hundred named cultivars and hybrids, so the plant on your windowsill may also be a cross between Thanksgiving and Christmas types, which UMass Amherst says produces intermediate traits.

All three are epiphytes from the mountain forests of Brazil, where Wisconsin says they grow on tree branches and rocky outcrops at 3,000 to 5,000 feet, which is why they want more water and less sun than desert cacti.

• Stem segment edges. Thanksgiving cactus has two to four saw-toothed, pointed projections along each segment (NC State Extension, Henderson County), which is why it is also called crab cactus (Briggs). Christmas cactus has smooth, rounded, scalloped edges. Easter cactus segments are rounded too, but Jane Mason describes small hairy bristles, like eyelashes, at the segment tips.
• Anther colour (the pollen-bearing tips in the flower). Yellow on Thanksgiving cactus, purplish-brown on Christmas cactus (UMass Amherst; NC State Extension).
• Ovary. UMass adds a third check: the Christmas cactus has a ribbed ovary at the base of the flower, the Thanksgiving cactus a rounded one with no ribs.
• Flower shape. Thanksgiving and Christmas cacti have tubular flowers; the Easter cactus has star-shaped flowers (Briggs).
• Bloom time. Thanksgiving first, about four to six weeks before Christmas (UMass); Easter in spring.

If your plant has both toothed segments and some intermediate features, it is probably a hybrid.

Zygocactus is the old name of the Thanksgiving cactus. Wisconsin Horticulture gives Schlumbergera truncata as the current name and Zygocactus truncatus as the former one, and UMass Amherst says S. truncata is commonly known as Thanksgiving cactus or Zygocactus. So a plant labelled Zygocactus is a Thanksgiving cactus, with toothed segments and yellow anthers, not the rounded-segment Christmas cactus.

Most likely a Thanksgiving cactus, whatever the label says. UMass Amherst states that most commercial holiday cactus cultivars are actually Schlumbergera truncata, and NC State Extension notes that Thanksgiving cacti are often sold as Christmas cacti because they flower earlier, in time for holiday sales. Check the segment edges: points mean Thanksgiving.

Yellow and gold are the least common colours in the sources we checked. Wisconsin Horticulture describes the range as almost pure white through shades of pink and purple to deep red, with many bicolours of pink, purple or red with white, and says only a few cultivars have yellow or gold flowers. Jane Mason also lists orange, cantaloupe, fuchsia and magenta among the colours she grows.

There is no fixed figure; a well-kept holiday cactus can live for decades. Wisconsin Horticulture says the plants are kept as houseplants for years or even decades, and that decades-old plants are passed down from generation to generation. Jane Mason writes that individual plants can live over 100 years and that her own was propagated from a mother plant over 50 years old. We did not find a documented record age from a botanical source. Because segments root easily, an old plant can also be carried on through cuttings.

The holiday names follow day length and temperature, not the calendar. UMass Amherst gives the critical day length for flower formation as between 12 and a half and 14 hours, with flowers forming under short days at 60 to 75 F. Because commercial growers control both, NC State Extension notes that plants can be timed to bloom for holiday sales, which is how a Thanksgiving cactus ends up in bloom at Christmas. NC State says individual plants can stay in bloom for up to seven to eight weeks. To get yours to rebloom at home, follow the long-night routine in our Christmas cactus care guide.

Thanksgiving and Christmas cacti need the same care, according to NC State Extension, so one routine covers both; our Christmas cactus care guide has the light, water and bud-setting details. Wisconsin gives 55 to 60 F as the minimum and 75 to 80 F as the best daytime range, and says to repot at least every four to five years. The Easter cactus differs: Briggs says it needs a longer period of low temperatures and dim light before it flowers in spring. The ASPCA lists Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii, also called Easter cactus) as non-toxic to cats and dogs; see our Christmas cactus and pets page.

Take a close-up of a few stem segments against a plain background so the edges are clear, and, if it is flowering, a close-up of the centre of a flower to show anther colour. PlantLens reads the plant from the photo; then confirm with the segment and anther checks above.

Research and drafting for this page were done with the help of AI, and every figure was then checked line by line against the sources listed at the end. Where sources disagree, we say so rather than pick one silently. If you find a mistake, tell us and we will correct it.