Prickly Pear vs. Christmas Cactus: What is the Distinction?

Prickly pear and Christmas cactus are two fashionable flowering cacti which are usually grown as houseplants. And, whereas their leaves and form look distinct from one another, the magenta-colored blooms may confuse somebody attempting to recall which one is which.

Here is what you should know concerning the distinction between prickly pear versus Christmas cactus and how one can determine every.

Prickly Pear vs. Christmas Cactus: Main Variations

On the most elementary degree, the distinction between prickly pear and Christmas cactus is that they are totally different vegetation. Each are members of the Cactaceae household, however prickly pear is a basic spiny cactus native to each North and South America, whereas Christmas cactus is a smooth-leafed cactus native to the Brazilian rain forest.

These two cacti additionally bloom at totally different occasions, have vastly totally different appearances and progress habits, they usually thrive beneath totally different situations.

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Look

Each prickly pear and Christmas cactus are usually inexperienced with pink blooms, however that is the place the similarities finish. Prickly pear has spiny, flat, club-shaped pads that appear to be the kind of cactus you usually consider within the desert.

That is the form of cactus you do not wish to get too near—until you are ready to start out selecting barbs out of your garments. When prickly pear blooms, it produces pink or yellow flowers which ultimately flip into darkish pink fruit.

Christmas cactus, however, has flat, segmented leaves that cascade round it like a waterfall. It produces blooms which are pink, crimson, white, purple or orange. These flowers will go away behind fruit.

Development Behavior

When you see a full grown prickly pear subsequent to a Christmas cactus, there isn’t any mistaking which is which. Prickly pears can soar to eight toes tall and extensive when grown open air. In the meantime, Christmas cacti are way more petite number of cactus, maxing out at one foot tall and two toes extensive.

Usually, prickly pear will unfold in clumps, whereas Christmas cactus is a well-liked hanging plant due to the best way its leaves spill over the aspect of a container.

Flowering Time

Prickly pear and Christmas cactus bloom at reverse occasions of 12 months, which is usually a nice hack in case you have each in your house as houseplants and need flowers year-round.

Such as you would count on from its identify, the Christmas cactus usually blooms across the holidays. You could begin to see blooms as early as November, they usually’ll proceed by means of January.

In the meantime, the prickly pear blooms late spring by means of early summer season.

Rising Necessities

Prickly pear is a desert plant that loves sunny, dry situations. Give it full solar or six hours of direct daylight each day. Effectively-draining sandy or gravelly soil is greatest for the prickly pear to thrive, and you may wish to prohibit watering to as soon as each two or three weeks. Ensure that the soil dries out fully between watering and by no means let the soil grow to be soaked with water.

As a result of Christmas cactus is a local rainforest plant, it want 4 to 6 hours of oblique or filtered mild each day. It does nicely with acidic, sandy cactus combine soil or basic potting soil with perlite. It also needs to be allowed to dry out between watering.

Find out how to Determine a Prickly Pear

To acknowledge a prickly pear within the wild (or a minimum of the greenhouse), search for a cactus that has flat, club-shaped leaves with spines overlaying the leaves. Relying on the time of 12 months, it could have pink or yellow blooms, magenta fruit, or nothing past the leaves themselves. Usually, you may discover it rising in a clump-like habits.

When grown as a houseplant, it will likely be a smaller plant however, within the desert, it could possibly attain eight toes excessive.

Find out how to Determine a Christmas Cactus

Christmas cactus is an simply recognizable plant, notably if you happen to see it over the vacations. It has cascading flat inexperienced leaves which are segmented from high of the stem to backside. It hardly ever reaches a couple of foot excessive and two toes extensive, and, if you happen to see it between November and January, it can have its signature pink blooms.