Christmas Cactus vs Thanksgiving Cactus
Two plants, one confusing name. How to tell which one is on your windowsill, and why it flowers when it does in a Canadian house.
Christmas cactus vs Thanksgiving cactus is one of the most common plant questions in Canada every November, usually from someone whose “Christmas cactus” has just finished flowering a month too early. The answer is almost always the same: it is a Thanksgiving cactus, it is healthy, and it is right on time.
Both are Schlumbergera, forest cacti from the mountains of southeastern Brazil. They are close relatives, they cross easily, and stores label them loosely. You can still tell them apart in about five seconds.
Look at the edge of a segment. Sharp, claw-like points: Thanksgiving cactus (S. truncata), flowering in November. Smooth, rounded scallops: Christmas cactus (S. × buckleyi), flowering a few weeks later. Care is the same for both.
Side by Side
| Look at | Thanksgiving cactus | Christmas cactus | Easter cactus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Botanical name | Schlumbergera truncata | Schlumbergera × buckleyi | Schlumbergera gaertneri (sold as Hatiora) |
| Segment edges | 2–4 sharp, hooked points per side | Rounded, wavy scallops | Rounded, with small bristles at the tips |
| Segment shape | Flat, squared-off tip | Flat, rounder tip | Thicker, more oval |
| Flowers | Tubular, held out sideways or tilted up | Tubular, hanging down | Open, flat and star-shaped |
| Usual bloom in a Canadian home | November into early December | December into January | March to May |
| In stores | Most plants sold, often labelled “Christmas” | Less common; often an old family plant | Sold in spring |
How to Check Your Plant
- Pick a mature segment from the middle of a stem, not a new one at the tip. New growth is softer and its points are less clear.
- Run a finger along the edge. If it catches on small hooks, it is a Thanksgiving cactus. If it slides over gentle bumps, it is a Christmas cactus.
- When it flowers, look at how the flowers sit. Held out level or tilted up suggests Thanksgiving; hanging like a bell suggests Christmas.
- Note the date. A plant in full flower by mid-November is almost always a Thanksgiving cactus.
Some plants do not fit neatly. Breeders have crossed the two for a century and many modern plants sit in between, with blunt points or flowers held half-way. Call those holiday cactus; the care is identical.
Why the Name Trips Up Canadians
“Thanksgiving cactus” is an American name for an American date: the fourth Thursday of November. Canadian Thanksgiving falls in early October, when the plant is only beginning to respond to the shortening days. So a Canadian buying a Thanksgiving cactus for Thanksgiving dinner gets a plant with no flowers, and the same plant bought as a Christmas cactus is often finished by mid-December.
Iowa State Extension gives the Thanksgiving cactus a bloom from mid-November to late December, and the true Christmas cactus from late November to early February; Clemson Extension puts the Thanksgiving cactus about a month ahead. In practice, a Canadian windowsill moves both by a week or two either way: a cooler sill gets buds started sooner, and a warm room delays them. If you want flowers for a particular date, the bloom guide gives the date nights get long enough in your city.
Does the Difference Matter for Care?
For the two Schlumbergera, no. Same light, same water, same mix, same fall routine, same rule about not moving a plant in bud. Everything is on Christmas cactus care.
The Easter cactus is the one to treat differently. Iowa State Extension describes a stricter routine that starts in the fall: 14 to 16 hours of darkness a night at room temperature (about 16–21 °C) for three to four weeks, then four to six weeks at about 8–13 °C. After that, longer days and normal room warmth bring the spring flowers. A plant kept warm and lit in a living room all fall often skips its turn.
Which to Choose
- For flowers on December 25: a true Christmas cactus. They are harder to find in stores; an old family plant or a cutting from one is the usual source. See propagation for rooting one.
- For flowers through November: a Thanksgiving cactus, which is also the easiest to find.
- For colour choice: most of the white, salmon, orange and yellow plants in stores are Thanksgiving types and hybrids; the classic old Christmas cactus is usually pink to magenta.
Thanksgiving and Christmas cactus are listed as non-toxic to cats and dogs by the ASPCA, which makes either of them a safe gift for a home with pets. See holiday plants and pets for the December plants that are not.
Climbing plants like pothos, monstera and philodendron make bigger leaves when their aerial roots can grip a damp pole. Keep the moss moist.
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Christmas vs Thanksgiving Cactus FAQ
What is the difference between a Christmas cactus and a Thanksgiving cactus?
Look at the edges of the flat green segments. A Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera truncata) has two to four sharp, curved points along each edge, like small claws. A Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera × buckleyi) has smooth, rounded scallops instead. The Thanksgiving cactus also tends to hold its flowers out sideways or upward, while the Christmas cactus lets them hang down, and it flowers a few weeks earlier.
Is my Christmas cactus actually a Thanksgiving cactus?
Probably. Most plants sold in Canadian stores as Christmas cactus or holiday cactus are Thanksgiving cactus or hybrids close to it, because they are easier to have in flower for the holiday shopping season. If yours has pointed segment edges and flowers in November, it is a Thanksgiving cactus.
Why is it called a Thanksgiving cactus if it blooms in November in Canada?
The name is American. It refers to American Thanksgiving, the fourth Thursday of November, when this plant is usually in flower. Canadian Thanksgiving is in early October, when the plant is only just starting to set buds, so in Canada it flowers about six weeks after our Thanksgiving.
Do Christmas and Thanksgiving cactus need different care?
No. Both want bright light without hot summer sun, a small pot of fast-draining mix, watering when the top of the mix is dry, and long or cool nights in the fall to set buds. The only practical difference is timing: the Thanksgiving cactus responds to the fall signal a little sooner.
What is an Easter cactus?
A related forest cactus, now classed as Schlumbergera gaertneri (often still labelled Hatiora or Rhipsalidopsis), that flowers in spring. Its segments are rounder with small bristles at the tips, and its flowers open flat like stars rather than the tube-shaped flowers of the other two. Iowa State Extension says it needs a stricter fall routine than the other two: long nights in a warm room for three to four weeks, then four to six weeks at about 8 to 13 °C.
Which one should I buy to have flowers on Christmas Day?
A true Christmas cactus, if you can find one, flowers closest to December 25. A Thanksgiving cactus that is slow to start, on a cool sill, often still has some flowers open at Christmas.
Sources
- Clemson Cooperative Extension, Thanksgiving & Christmas Cacti — the two species and their care.
- British Cactus and Succulent Society, Schlumbergera truncata.
- N.C. Cooperative Extension, Christmas or Thanksgiving Cactus? (republishes the Clemson factsheet) — two to four points per segment edge.
- Iowa State University Extension, All About Holiday Cacti — segment teeth, bloom timing of the two species, the Easter cactus name and its fall routine.