Crab Cactus
Schlumbergera truncata
Unlike desert cacti, this species is a 'jungle cactus' that lacks true sharp spines, instead featuring soft, crab-claw-like teeth along its flattened leaf-like stem segments.
- Scientific name
- Schlumbergera truncata
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Caryophyllales › Cactaceae › Schlumbergera
- IUCN Red List status
- Vulnerable
- Population trend
- decreasing
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Humid, shaded subtropical or tropical canopy forests, growing epiphytically on trees or lithophytically on damp rocks.
- Diet
- Photosynthetic (produces energy from sunlight, water, and air, absorbing trace nutrients from decaying organic matter on its host tree).
- Range
- Serra do Mar, Brazil, Organ Mountains, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Size
- Sprawling clumps up to 30–60 cm (12–24 inches) tall and wide, with stem segments 4–6 cm long.
- Lifespan
- Can live for 50 to 100 years or more, often passed down through generations as a resilient houseplant.
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Deforestation, habitat fragmentation of the Atlantic Forest, illegal collecting/poaching for the horticultural trade, and climate change altering humidity levels.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. If you encounter this plant in its native wild habitat, do not touch, disturb, or harvest it. Take photos from a safe distance to avoid trampling its delicate micro-habitat. Wild populations are highly protected; purchasing only certified, nursery-grown specimens helps prevent illegal poaching.
Schlumbergera truncata , the false Christmas cactus , is a species of plant in the Cactaceae family. It is endemic to a small area of the coastal mountains of south-eastern Brazil where its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist forests. It is the parent or one of the parents of the houseplants called Christmas cactus or Thanksgiving cactus, among other names.
Photo: Pedro Alvaro Neves, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
Plain-text version: /species/e96ec19f-fd3f-4d9b-9e8a-65f34eece8ff.md