Thanksgiving or Christmas cactus - which is it?

There are these plants that are all over the stores these days, blooming in pink, red, magenta, and white. They're advertised as "Christmas Cactus," but you want to know the truth? Very few of them are true Christmas cacti. They're actually Thanksgiving cacti. I didn't know the difference until about a year ago, when I bought my first one.

I had my doubts as to whether I could even keep the thing alive for another year, let alone have it bloom again. I have a habit of watering succulents too much and they fall over in a heap of mush. But once this one stopped blooming last year, I put it on the top shelf of my baker's rack and I'm not kidding - I think I only watered it half a dozen times all year. And now it's blooming.

My Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera truncate)

There really are two kinds of these plants and they're very similar. But they're easy to tell apart, once you know how. The Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera truncate) has 'serrated' edges to its leaves, while the Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera x Buckleyi) leaves are jagged, but more rounded. The flowers also hang a little differently, with the Thanksgiving cactus flowers bending upwards a little more. I don't know that I've ever seen a true Christmas cactus in any nursery or store, even though some are labeled as such.

For more detailed information about these holiday plants, visit this site.