Christmas Cactus, Easter Cactus or Orchid Cactus?

When you come across one of these strange plants with flattened green stems divided into segments and bearing beautiful flowers, you might immediately assume it’s a Christmas cactus. However, there are significant differences between these plants, which consistently produce spectacular blooms!

Cacti, Really?

A common misconception is that these beautiful plants aren’t real cacti. In fact, they belong to the cactus family, Cactaceae—but they certainly don’t look like the small, spiny balls and cylindrical stems that inhabit desert regions of America.

Christmas cacti, Easter cacti, and orchid cacti belong to a unique group. These cacti grow in tropical rainforests. Contrary to the common image of cacti, they don’t grow in wide open spaces under a blazing sun. Instead, they thrive in regions that receive regular rainfall. These amazing cacti are epiphytes, which grow on the branches of large trees, or lithophytes, which cling to rocks and grow in a thin layer of soil. This is why they are often referred to as epiphytic cacti.

In their natural environment, they are primarily located between the mountainous regions of central Mexico and the tropical forests of Brazil.

Stems, Leaves, or Something Else?

These famous epiphytic cacti are fairly similar in appearance, which can cause confusion. However, they share a very particular structure. What appear to be overlapping leaves are actually flattened stems. These leaf-like stems are called cladodes. The leaves, which are usually transformed into spines on most cacti, are practically nonexistent in epiphytic cacti. Sometimes, one observes fine, long, bristly hairs. In a humid tropical environment, there’s less need for protection from thirsty animals.

At the end of each segment are buds that develop into new stems or, in good conditions, flower buds!

And Now, Let’s Talk About Christmas Cacti!

Now that we have all these concepts on the table, let’s move on to our real challenge: distinguishing all these beautiful cacti!

Let’s start with the Christmas cactus. Regarding its Latin name, the currently accepted name is Schlumbergera truncata. However, it was previously known as Epiphyllum truncatum and Zygocactus truncatus. There are so many name variations for epiphytic cacti that it’s not always easy to determine the correct one. Then there are the names commonly used in marketing, which are sometimes different from those used in botanical nomenclature. Quite a puzzle!

Christmas cacti have stems made of short segments with two or three teeth on each side. The Christmas cactus flowers have a complex shape that I like to compare to a double trumpet. It’s as if one flower blooms inside another.

Moving On To Easter Cacti

While it’s relatively easy to determine the Latin name of the Christmas cactus, things get a bit more complicated with the Easter cactus. They are officially recognized as Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri, but they are often called Hatiora gaertneri in the market. However, they have also been known as Epiphyllum gaertneri, Schlumbergera gaertneri, Rhipsalis gaertneri, and Epiphyllopsis gaertneri.

This cactus most closely resembles the Christmas cactus because it is also formed of a series of short stems. However, these cladodes have a rounded edge and lack the teeth found on Christmas cacti. Easter cacti have star-shaped flowers with a double row of pointed petals. In natural species, the flowers are a beautiful, bright red. Hybrid flowers are often red, pink, mauve, or orange, but many other colors are available!

And Finally, the Orchid Cactus

The orchid cactus, now called Disocactus crenatus, is slightly less well known than the previous two. You may also know it as Epiphyllum crenatum, Cereus crenatus, or Phyllocactus crenatus. In my opinion, this is the most spectacular of all the epiphytic cacti because its flowers look like water lilies and are immense. They also give off a powerful nighttime fragrance reminiscent of orange blossoms.

This cactus’s stems are not segmented. They are long and lobed. The flowers consist of a first row of numerous petals forming a sort of cup surrounded by a second row of narrower petals (or sepals) of a slightly different color. The orchid cactus is undoubtedly named for the great beauty of its flowers and its epiphytic nature.

As a Bonus, the Fishbone Cactus

Take an orchid cactus and accentuate the depth of the lobes and you get the Fishbone cactus, or zigzag cactus (Disocactus anguliger). Its rather unique foliage is a curiosity in itself. And its flowering is just as sublime and as perfumed as that of the orchid cactus!

And there you have it! You can now confidently impress your friends by telling them that they’re not growing a Christmas cactus, but an Easter cactus!