ES
i will post a pic of the elata but it is hardly a specimen worth showing off lol

i will make a thread about my bromeliads. i have a few and i dont know much about them so id love some info. i have two cryptanthus

1- https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...7b7b3719_c.jpgUntitled by J Solo, on Flickr

2- https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...4d8b58f4_c.jpgUntitled by J Solo, on Flickr

3-
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...480a2a0a_c.jpgUntitled by J Solo, on Flickr


4-
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...04cf61cb_c.jpgUntitled by J Solo, on Flickr


5-
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...6769523c_c.jpgUntitled by J Solo, on Flickr



6-
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...6e0df11f_c.jpgUntitled by J Solo, on Flickr


more are uploading- i'll do a second post

So many beauties. And what is that one that looks like a cactus, but with a flower that looks like a Hibiscus?

Christmas cactus! My dad used to grow them. Beautiful blooms always in time for the holidays! There’s a variety with more purple flowers too.

there are actually three, thanksgiving, easter and christmas all beautiful but with different shaped sections.

the sci name is schlumbergera truncata

I had no idea! Thanks!

DC---- Which Coelogyne (I trust that's what it is) is #4?

The Thanksgiving and Christmas cacti, AKA crab cacti or claw cacti, are hybrids in genus Schlumbergera. They have previously been placed in genera Epiphyllum, Epiphyllanthus and Zygocactus. Plants consist of flattened stem segments that superficially resemble leaves. They tend to have long stem protuberances along the edges that look like soft green spines. They flower from Fall to mid-Winter, depending on night temperatures or night length. These have petals arranged in a zygomorphic form, united into a tube below, with pistils protruding beyond the tube. They are easy to grow as shade epiphytes, in very loose and well-aerated media. They tolerate periods of drying out but do better kept evenly moist all year. Flowering is initiated by one of two things: Six weeks of fall night temperatures below 55 F / 13C; or, six weeks of completely dark nights of more than 10 hours - like Poinsettias, Euphorbia pulcherrima. Turning on an electric light at night just once during this period will inhibit flowering. This is why Grandma's cactus flowered reliably, whereas the one in your living room won't - Grandma put hers under the window in the root cellar for the winter, where it got only natural light. Your plant in the living room gets artificial light most Fall nights.

Easter cacti are hybrids in genus Rhipsalidopsis. The plants look a lot like those of Schlumbergera except there are usually none of the long stem segment protuberances. They have radially symmetric flowers with petals separate at the bases, and a short pistil in the center. They flower in late Winter or Spring. Their shade epiphyte ancestor species were described as genus Epiphyllum, then moved to Schlumbergera, then Rhipsalis, then Epiphyllopsis, then Rhipsalidopsis, then Hatiora (all the previous based on morphology studies), then back into Schlumbergera based on DNA studies then, after more refined DNA studies, back into Rhipsalidopsis.

Rhipsalidopsis are harder than Schlumbergera to grow for most people. They need to stay evenly moist with no drying out and no long wet periods, or the root system collapses. If this happens stem segments can be rooted. They tolerate less heat than do Schlumbergeras. But, they will flower as house plants, without the need for long nights or chilling.

Both genera are easy from cuttings, though Rhipsalidopsis root best in Spring. Single Schlumbergera stem segments can be rooted in bottle caps of water with a success rate of nearly 100%.

Wow, thank you! I had no idea that Easter cacti were a different species from the other two! I normally 'well, actually' about the difference between Christmas and Thanksgiving cacti. Since moving to FL from the midwest, I've noticed the care differences between the two.

My Christmas cactus is the largest (and likely oldest) division of a plant my great-grandmother had. It would not surprise me if there were sections that were over 80 years old. It loves sitting outside year round where it gets filtered sun throughout the day.

For blooms, my mom (over 40 years with the main plant) has always had luck using temperature drops, and I have to agree. The only years I had no blooms were my years in apartments with no outdoor spaces.

My Thanksgiving cactus is so much more picky and prone to sunburn. It's in the same part of my yard, but needs additional shading so it sits next to a fence.

excellent summary post, e.s. even tho this is an orchid forum, grandmas christmas cacti are why i started growing plants...owe it all to grammy!!!

as usual, your flowers are great, d.c.!!