Another group of plants enjoyed through the holidays are the Christmas and Thanksgiving cacti. My two great aunts in Hattiesburg, MS had a very old holiday cactus that remained on the front porch for over 20 years - it was always spectacular during the holiday season and had a diameter of close to 4 feet. Christmas cactus is probably the most popular of the holiday cactus and is the favorite house plants for the holiday season for many of us. Christmas cactus is known by the scientific name Schlumbergera bridgesi. Thanksgiving cactus is a similar species and is sometimes called the crab cactus - its scientific name is Zygocactus truncatus or Schlumbergera truncatus.
Flowers are usually scarlet in color.
Christmas cactus are distinguished from the Thanksgiving cactus by its rounded leaves with blunt tips. Flowers are carmine-red with a purple tinge in the center. Finally, there is the Easter cactus. Easter cactus has long, flattened joints, dull green leaves with rounded margins and a few bristles at the growing tips. Flowers are a deep scarlet and star-shaped.