The Schlumbergera Truncata, commonly known as 'Holiday Cactus', 'False Christmas Cactus' or 'Thanksgiving Cactus', is an epiphytic cacti found growing in the coastal mountains of South-Eastern Brazil. Unlike your dessert cacti, this genus enjoys humidity and doesn't need as much direct sun to be happy. When in bloom, this plant can be wuite thirsty, so water once the soil is over halfway dry. This genus is popular due to its flowers, which bloom once temperatures drop and light is reduced. This is, in the Northern Hemisphere, typically around Autumn / Winter, which is where the nickname comes from. However, if cared for consistently they may flower more than once a year. You can even trick them to flower earlier by reducing their light. The flowers themselves are bright in colour, and have a two-tiered, tubular shape which opens up into a star-like shape at the end. The Holiday Cactus make great gifts, due to their ease of care and the time of year in which they flower - bringing a bright pop of colour to the shorted, darker days.
