1336 Christmas cactus
A Christmas
cactus is a colorful addition to houseplant collections and is easy to
care for. Christmas cactus is a member of the cactus family, but it
doesn't have spines. It also requires more water than its thorny
relatives.
Christmas cacti spend most of the year growing long, segmented paddles
that branch from low-lying base stalks. Each segment is softly rounded at
the tips and sprouts from the center of the segment behind it. This
produces hanging, scalloped-shaped branches.
Flowers of
the Christmas cactus usually appear during the short days of December.
Flowers form at the center of the outermost tip of each branch. Blossoms
hang down loosely. Sections of petals fountain out of each other in a
long, graceful arc. Bloom size may vary from species to species, but
blooms typically range from 1 to 3 inches long.
Christmas cacti thrive in bright, indirect light and require light to
moderate waterings.
|