Stats

Lifespan

20-100 yrs

Size

Small

Diet

Photosynthetic

Biome

Tropical rainforest

Range

South America

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Seeds

Defense

Spines

Status

Uncommon

About

Christmas cacti, native to the coastal mountains of southeastern Brazil, grow on trees or rocks with high humidity and shady conditions, and have stems that resemble leaf-like pads joined one to the other. They bloom from areoles at the joints and tips of the stems, with two species of Schlumbergera having cylindrical stems more similar to other cacti.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   seed

   A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2. 2.
   sprout

   A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3. 3.
   sapling

   A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4. 4.
   mature

   Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

Learn more

• View on iNaturalist →

Taxonomy

Kingdom

Plantae

Phylum

Tracheophyta

Class

Magnoliopsida

Order

Caryophyllales

Family

Cactaceae

Genus

Schlumbergera