Hello, I’m Amanda McNulty with Christmas Extension and Making It Grow. The leaves of Thanksgiving and Christmas cacti and the new hybrid that blooms for both holidays are not really leaves. They’re modified stem tissue, and if you want a true Christmas cactus, that’s how you know you have the real deal. The stems on the others have segments that protrude and give the so-called leaves a slightly spikey edge, the Christmas cactus has smooth, scalloped margins. And then you can look at the stamens, the numerous male flower parts – on the true Christmas cactus they’re purple – and very prominent. All the holiday-blooming cacti have tubular flowers that are filled with nectar – in nature the straight species are probably pollinated mostly by hummingbirds, the ones in the tropics are stunningly beautiful. The hybrids wouldn’t occur in nature and are probably sterile.
A closer look at the anatomy of Thanksgiving and Christmas cacti

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