Genus of the Week
Week of November 23-29
This page has been created for people who want to learn more about plants, especially in the
context of their taxonomy (Latin names, etc.). This is by no means an exhaustive list of
all available Web resources for a particular genus.
If you like this page, you should also visit the Land of the Glandular Trichomes
, a microscopic look at plants in the Lamiaceae family.
This week's genus:
Schlumbergera
image above © 1999-2000 www.arttoday.com
Subclass: Dicotyledoneae
Superorder: Caryophyllidae
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Cactaceae (The Cactus Family)
Number of Species: At least 4, with many varieties
The genus Schlumbergera consists of several cactus species which share the distinction of
bearing bright beautiful flowers each winter. The two most commonly known species are the
Christmas Cactus (S. bridgesii) and the Thanksgiving Cactus (S. truncata), though
it can be difficult to determine the species since these ornamental plants are often hybridized.
Here are a few links to images and descriptions of different Schlumbergera species:
- S. bridgesii was once chosen as
Plant of the Week by the Introductory Botany course at the University of Illinois. Read about
its growing habits and see a nice photo.
- S. bridgesii is in the natural host range of
Cactus X potexvirus. Find out all about this virus from Brunt, A.A., Crabtree, K.,
Dallwitz, M.J., Gibbs, A.J., Watson, L. and Zurcher, E.J. (eds.) (1996 onwards).`Plant Viruses
Online: Descriptions and Lists from the VIDE Database. Version: 20th August 1996.'
- Here is
another nice image of Schlumbergera, this time in full flower, from the University of
Wisconsin, Madison.
- The Cacti and Succulents page from Kestrel Computing has an
image and description of
S. gaertneri, the Easter Cactus, sometimes referred to as Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri.
- Read about that many horticultural varieties of Schlumbergera on
this page from the Iowa State University Department of Horticulture.
- The University of Missouri extension School has some important tips on
disease management
for Schlumbergera.
References:
- Crockett, James Underwood. Crockett's Indoor Garden. Boston, Little, Brown & Company: 1978.
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