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Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri
Easter cactus is a branching, pendant epiphytic cactus from forests of southeastern Brazil, grown for its scarlet flowers in late spring. The key to growing it is bright shade, careful watering and a cool winter rest to set buds.
Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri, synonyms Schlumbergera gaertneri and Hatiora gaertneri, is a species of epiphytic cactus which belongs to the tribe Rhipsalideae within the subfamily Cactoideae of the Cactaceae. Together with the hybrid with R. rosea, Rhipsalidopsis × graeseri, it is known, in English speaking countries in the Northern Hemisphere, as Easter cactus or Whitsun cactus and is a widely cultivated ornamental plant. It has received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Under the name Easter cactus or Whitsun cactus, Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri is widely cultivated as an ornamental plant for its scarlet flowers. Its common names reflect the period in which it flowers in the Northern Hemisphere, namely late Spring. It has been artificially crossed with a pink-flowered species, Rhipsalidopsis rosea, to form the hybrid Rhipsalidopsis × graeseri, cultivars of which have flowers in a wider range of colours.
The Easter cactus is considered more difficult to grow than the Christmas or Thanksgiving cactus (cultivars and hybrids of Schlumbergera). Recommendations for care include:
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
