How to Tell a Thanksgiving Cactus From a Christmas Cactus and Why It Matters
Despite their festive name, Christmas cacti are excellent year-round houseplants that don’t look out of place in mid-July. They also live so long that with proper care they can be passed on from generation to generation.
But what if we told you that the succulent you think is a Christmas cactus could actually be a completely different plant? And not just some plant – a Thanksgiving cactus? This is true. Both of these cacti bloom in late fall or early winter and are named after the end of the year, but garden centers often mistakenly refer to Thanksgiving cacti as Christmas cacti.
An article from Farmers’ Almanac explains the difference between a Thanksgiving cactus and a Christmas cactus, and why you need to know which one matters. Here’s what you need to know.
Thanksgiving Cactus vs Christmas Cactus
We’ll start with some quick visual differences, courtesy of the Farmer’s Almanac :
Thanksgiving Cactus
- Leaves : In the form of a crab claw, with two to four toothed segments with pointed thorns on each side. The end of the last segment is slightly concave.
- Flowers : grow at the ends or at the junction of leaf segments; look like a long tube inside another flower; mostly in pastel colors, including red, pink, peach, purple, orange, or white.
Christmas cactus
- Leaves : have a more rounded toothed edge; the tips are slightly curved.
- Flowers : Usually pink or white.
Why is it important
As you might have guessed, Thanksgiving cacti bloom about a month before the Christmas cactus blooms. Knowing what kind of cactus you are holding can help you determine when you can expect flowers to appear.
Well, for the most part, at least: Thanksgiving and Christmas cacti sometimes bloom between March and May, although the Farmers’ Almanac states that there won’t be as many flowers in the spring as at the end of the year. …