Life Span
Perennial
Annual
Type
Cactus or Succulent
Vegetable
Origin
North America, Latin America and the Caribbean, Central America, South America
India, Philippines, Southeast Asia
Types
Schlumbergera
-
Number of Varieties
15-
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Coastal Mountains, Humid climates
Loamy soils, Moist Soils, Subtropical climates
USDA Hardiness Zone
-99995-7
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-1
12-1
Sunset Zone
7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
A1, A2, A3, H1, H2, 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Clump-Forming
Vining/Climbing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
45.70 cm60.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
71.10 cm90.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Purple
Yellow, Orange, Dark Green
Flower Color Modifier
-
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Pink
Yellow, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Dark Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Green, Dark Green
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Toothed
Palmate
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Very Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
-
Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
-
Drought
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot
Ground
How to Plant?
Stem Planting, Transplanting
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs, Do Not over Water, Never Over-water
Keep ground moist, Requires regular watering
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral
Neutral
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun
Pruning
Prune if you want to improve plant shape, Requires little pruning
Cut out old flower stalks, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Nitrogen, N-P-K balanced liquid fertilizer, Potassium
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Army-worms, Bacterial leaf spot, Blight, Cucumber beetles, Cucumber mosaic, Cutworms, Fusarium leaf spot, Red spider mite
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Full Sun, Salt and Soil Compaction
Flowers
Showy
Showy
Flower Petal Number
-
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Bold
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
-
Bees, Flies, Flying insects
Allergy
Eye irritation, sneezing
Hypoglycaemic Coma, Irregular Heart Rhythm, Miscarriage
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Beautification, Landscape Designing, Showy Purposes
-
Beauty Benefits
-
Glowing Skin, Moisturizing, Nourishes scalp
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Food for animals
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
-
Diabetes, Gastrointestinal disorders, Jaundice, Laxative, Leprosy, Weight loss
Part of Plant Used
Leaves
Fruits, Leaves
Other Uses
Decoration Purposes, Showy Purposes, Used as Christmas Tree, Used as Ornamental plant
Cosmetics, Culinary use, Repellent
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Houseplant, Rock Garden, Wall
Dried Flower/Everlasting, Vine
Botanical Name
SCHLUMBERGERA x buckleyi
Trichosanthes cucumerina
Common Name
Thanksgiving Cactus, Crab Cactus
snake gourd, serpent gourd, chichinda, padwal
In Hindi
क्रिसमस कैक्टस
चिचिण्डा
In German
Weihnachtskaktus
Schlangenhaargurke
In French
Cactus de Noël
Trichosanthes cucumerina
In Spanish
Cactus de Navidad
snake gourd
In Greek
Χριστούγεννα Cactus
φίδι κολοκύθα
In Portuguese
Cacto de Natal
snake gourd
In Polish
Christmas Cactus
Gurdlina ogórkowata
In Latin
Nativitatis Cactus
snake gourd
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Caryophyllales
Cucurbitales
Family
Cactaceae
Cucurbitaceae
Genus
Schlumbergera
Coccinia
Clade
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
Cactoideae
Papilionoideae
Number of Species
627
1
27800
👆🏻