Mid-Atlantic Gardening: HOLIDAY CACTUS GENERAL DISCUSSION - PART #6, 0 by JBerger

JBerger wrote:
Gita that is just beautiful. I would be honored to have it. I wish we knew the name. Which brings me to another issue.

You would think over the years I have been doing this I would have learned the different floral symmetries. Well, I have not and still have to think about it. Why I bring it up is that when I go to the Cactusguide.com for help, those guys know just about all there is to know but they use terms such as radially symmetric and bilaterally symmetric when they speak of the blooms on the Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter cactus.

I have one plant I call Petra's Pink that I was sure was a genuine Christmas cactus as in Schlumbergera x buckleyi .

Then I thought I may have had a russelliana because of the stem....and many russelliana are sold by professionals that are really buckleyi. Anyhow, the ultimate key is that the flowers will be radially symmetrical opposed to the bilateral symmetry of S. truncata (thanksgiving cactus and sold everywhere as Christmas Cactus. When the flower opens fully, according to the CCG the pollen and stamine should have a pink-magenta colour if it is a S. russelliana.

Here is a picture of a Petra's Pink and I am still not sure what to call it other than Petra's Pink. For sure it is a HYBRID. Of course I could say it is anything I want and no one would be the wiser, but without knowing for sure, I can not make myself do that. This is what makes this propagation so much fun. Sometimes very frustrating but more fun than anything . And, we keep on learning every day.

When I saw Gita's pink it reminded me of my dilema trying to ID this pink but her pink is a definite S.truncata because the stems are all pointed. The thing to try and do is find out which Cultivar it is.