Christmas cactus

Christmas cactus
a cactus, Schlumbergera bridgesii (or Zygocactus bridgesii), native to Brazil, having stems with leaflike segments and showy, purplish-red flowers, and often cultivated as a houseplant.
[1895-1900]

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plant
 (hybrid Schlumbergera × buckleyi), popular cactus of the family Cactaceae that has flattened stems and is grown for its colourful cerise flowers that bloom indoors about Christmastime in the Northern Hemisphere. Most Christmas cacti now in cultivation are considered to be hybrids of the crab cactus (S. truncata) and S. russelliana. Like other Schlumbergera species, it is native to Brazil, and it grows in the rainforest, perched on trees or shrubs as epiphytes or sometimes in shady places among rocks. The alternative genus name, Zygocactus, is frequently encountered.

      The Christmas cactus is often confused with the Thanksgiving cactus (also called crab cactus, S. truncata, or Epiphyllum truncatum); however, in the former, the margins of the stem joints are crenated (they have rounded indentations), whereas in the latter the margins are sharply saw-toothed.

      The Easter cactus, formerly classified as S. gaertneri, is now referred to as Hatiora gaertneri.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Christmas cactus — n. a common houseplant (Schlumbergera bridgesii) with flat, jointed, fleshy stems and red flowers that bloom around Christmas; crab cactus …   English World dictionary

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  • Christmas cactus — noun Etymology: from its annual blooming around Christmastime Date: circa 1900 a branching Brazilian cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii syn. S. buckleyi) having flat jointed stems with scalloped margins and showy usually red, pink, white, violet, or …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Christmas cactus — kalėdinis plokštenis statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Kaktusinių šeimos dekoratyvinis kultūrinis augalas (Schlumbergera ×buckleyi). atitikmenys: lot. Schlumbergera ×buckleyi angl. Christmas cactus šaltinis Valstybinės lietuvių kalbos… …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)

  • Christmas cactus — noun epiphytic cactus of Brazilian ancestry widely cultivated as a houseplant having jointed flat segments and usually rose purple flowers that bloom in winter • Syn: ↑Schlumbergera buckleyi, ↑Schlumbergera baridgesii • Hypernyms: ↑cactus •… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Christmas cactus — Christ′mas cac tus n. pln a cactus, Schlumbergera bridgesii, native to Brazil, having stems with leaflike segments and bearing showy usu. purplish red flowers • Etymology: 1895–1900 …   From formal English to slang

  • Christmas cactus — noun a succulent South American plant with red, pink, or white flowers, grown as a house plant. [Schlumbergera bridgesii.] Origin so named because it flowers at about the northern midwinter …   English new terms dictionary

  • desert Christmas cactus — laibasis lazduvis statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Kaktusinių šeimos augalas (Cylindropuntia leptocaulis), paplitęs Šiaurės Amerikoje. atitikmenys: lot. Cylindropuntia leptocaulis angl. Christmas cactus; Christmas cholla; desert Christmas… …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)

  • Christmas flowers — are the popular flowers used during the festive season of Christmas. In many nations, flowers and plants form a major part of the Christmas decoration. Poinsettia, Christmas cactus, holly, Christmas rose[disambiguation needed  ], ivy …   Wikipedia

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