Schlumbergerer Stigma And Stamens

The Christmas cactus was discovered by an Englishman in Brazil and named by Frenchman Charles Antoine Lemaire after another Frenchman Frédéric Schlumberger, a well-known collector of cacti and succulents.


It was unlike any cactus that had been seen before. An epiphyte found high up in the tree canopy rooted onto tree branches. Even though there's plenty of rain in a Brazilian rainforest it drains away in the tree canopy, mimicking the drought conditions encountered by the more familiar members of the cacti family. Ideal house plant for me, it seems to thrive on neglect. :)