Plant Stories Christmas Cactus History

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Today, we are doing another installment of plant stories. This time it is on Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera). I love these plants; they are absolutely gorgeous. They come in a lot of different beautiful colors, including a nice pink fuchsia. You can also find them in lavender, purple, pink, and white, with some having a little green tone in them. They’re just gorgeous!

I’m going to tell you about their history today—where they came from and how we got so lucky as to be able to grow these in our indoor gardens. I also have another video on how to grow them in your indoor garden and how to get them to bud up for you year after year. My grandmother had a gorgeous one, which was passed on to my cousin when she passed away. It’s a really nice plant in so many ways and is very long-lived.

These plants originate from the coastal mountains of southeastern Brazil, near the Atlantic. It is a subspecies of cactus that grows in a region that’s generally relatively cool, shaded, and has high humidity. Those are some of the conditions you need to provide for them, especially the cooler temperatures in your garden. As mentioned, the colors range from red, yellow, salmon pink, fuchsia, and white, with even some combinations. Some are a little frillier than others. This flower itself is just so gorgeous!

They are often found in jungles growing upside down from other plants, making them very pretty decorative plants. As mentioned, this plant is from Brazil and is part of the Schlumbergera family. It is named due to the flowering time in the Northern Hemisphere. In their home region, they flower from April to May, but here in Southern California, they can bud and flower for us in the winter months. This is just a treat, especially when things are maybe a bit dreary and there aren’t many leaves on the trees.

In Europe, they are also called crab cactus because they have these kind of clawed limbs, and their stems do resemble crab legs. They may even have joints in them as well, which is another fun fact.

There are six main species of Schlumbergera, and several of them are holiday cacti that are commercially produced. The ones you’re going to find in nurseries typically bloom in the winter months, generally from September to February. If you celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas, you’re going to find them available during that time.

The genus name is actually a tribute to Frederick Schlumberger, who was a French collector of exotic botanical species. We get that name from his last name, which is a common practice for people who discover a plant and hybridize it.

This particular group of holiday cacti was discovered by Alan Cunningham in the early 1800s, and by the 1900s, several hybrids had already been created. At that time, they were adopted into some Christian holiday traditions due to their blooming times coinciding with Thanksgiving and Christmas, hence the name Christmas cactus. There’s also a spring-blooming variety sometimes called Easter cactus, but that is a different species altogether.

Many botanists consider Schlumbergera buckleyi to be the original true Christmas cactus. However, that hybrid has all but disappeared. If you ever find one, perhaps from a relative who claims they have had a Christmas cactus for many years, check into it because it is a treasure among collectors now.

Schlumbergera truncata is the parent of the majority of the holiday cacti you can find in nurseries today, and it is different from buckleyi, so keep that in mind as well. If you find one that looks quite different, it could be that species.

As mentioned, there are also some hybrids, so you may even find orangey tones and various other colors. One story behind the Christmas cactus suggests that a Jesuit missionary known as Father Jose was trying to convert Bolivian natives. Despite his good works and attempts to spread the word, he met with failure. The native people appreciated his help, but they did not believe in the Christmas story he was trying to convey.

While he was praying at an altar, he heard his congregants singing a hymn he had taught them. When he looked up, the children of the village were coming his way, carrying a plant stand with stems decorated with beautiful flowers. These were the blooms of the Schlumbergera cacti, which they gave to him to decorate the altar. Whether that story is true or not, it gives you some ideas about the different legends that have been passed down regarding how the Christmas cactus got its name.

Some historical records show that it was cultivated in Europe over 200 years ago, as mentioned earlier, and that it was discovered in the 1800s. They were first grown in greenhouses, which is not surprising in Europe, where the temperatures are cooler in the fall and winter months.

For a time in 1852, Christmas cacti fell out of favor, leading to a loss of some cultivars. However, starting in the 1950s, breeders rediscovered them, as happens with many houseplants, and began breeding them again. They continue to do so today, with breeding efforts taking place in North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.

This is where you get all the beautiful cultivars that you can now find to decorate your indoor garden throughout the year. Even when they’re not blooming, they still offer an interesting look as a cactus-type plant with a lot of good structure.

That’s the history of this beautiful plant, the Christmas cactus. Thank you for stopping by today! Please leave any comments about any indoor gardening tutorials you’d like to see. Remember to like, comment, subscribe, and share this video, and please check the bell if you’d like to be notified when new videos are released.

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