Colorful Cactus for the Holidays

A pinyon fire crackling, the clean permeating scent of conifer and candles flickering around your home, can take on another dimension by adding a colorful cactus, commonly known as Christmas cactus, but suitable for all religious holidays.

In the western and southwestern U.S. and Mexico, Opuntia lepticaulis, or cholla cactus, is what is generally referred to as ‚”Christmas cactus.”

Known by several other names: tsejo, pencil-joint cholla, diamond cactus and darning-needle cactus, this species has many tangled branches, and has bright-red fruit which is evident during December and January.

It can be purchased as a small plant, several inches high, but can grow into a three-foot high ‚”bush” or even six to seven feet high when planted among desert trees.

In the wild, they grow along arroyos, on flat plains, and on hillsides. They do not require much, if any care, and are happy in the highly alkaline, caliche soil of the desert southwest.

Purchase a small one for Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanza, or Eid ul-Adha, and then, in the early spring, plant it in your garden. It will do well to about 7,000 feet elevation and loves to grow among pinyon and one-seed juniper, four-winged saltbush and chamissa.

There are other cactus species that are also used for the same purpose. One, from the South American tropics, is Schlumbergera truncata. This small-growing cactus has paddle-shaped leaves, with short spines on the top, and looks more like a succulent than a cactus, although it is a true cactus.

In most of North America and Europe, it is considered a houseplant, and should be kept inside. It will grow to about one and a half feet tall. However, keeping it pruned will help maintain a smaller size. Its blooms are spectacular, red to fuscia-red, although there are a number of cultivated varieties with lavender, pink, purple and white.