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Schlumbergera russelliana is a species of flowering plant in the family Cactaceae. It is endemic to a small area of the coastal mountains of southeastern Brazil, where its natural habitat is moist forest and it grows on trees as an epiphyte. It is one of the parent species from which many of the popular houseplants known as Christmas cactus or Thanksgiving cactus are descended.
Schlumbergera russelliana is mainly cultivated in the form of its hybrids with other species of the genus, particularly the hybrid S. russelliana × S. truncata, which has been called S. × buckleyi (T.Moore) Tjaden or S. Buckleyi Group. The hybrid S. orssichiana × S. russelliana has also been domesticated; it has been given the name S. × eprica Süpplie. These plants and their cultivation are discussed at the page for the genus Schlumbergera.
Schlumbergera russelliana occurs only in a small area of the coastal mountains of southeast Brazil, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, located in the southernmost part of the tropics. It has only been found in the Organ Mountains (Serra dos Órgãos) in the Parque Nacional da Serra dos Órgãos. Plants grow at altitudes of 1,400–2,100 metres (4,600–6,900 ft). Because of their altitude and proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, the coastal mountains have high humidity – warm moist air is forced upwards into higher, colder locations where it condenses. S. russelliana usually grows on other plants such as trees, making it epiphytic.
Christmas Cactus · Schlumbergera lutea · Christmas Cactus · Christmas Cactus · Schlumbergera orssichiana · False Christmas cactus · Vascular Plants
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Schlumbergera russelliana by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
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.
Pet safety from the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists.
