Christmas cactus, Schlumbergera spp., is an umbrella term for several species and cultivated varieties of South American epiphytes that cling to trees and rocks for support in the wild, drawing sustenance from rainwater and bits of organic matter in their immediate environment.
It is a popular indoor houseplant because of the profusion of blooms that appear between Thanksgiving and Christmas, depending upon the variety.
Sometimes plants develop hair-like growths between their stem segments, or cladodes. These are called aerial roots.
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In our guide to growing Christmas cactus, we discuss all you need to know to cultivate this tropical epiphyte indoors.
In this article, we talk about aerial roots on Christmas cacti, and what they may mean to the home gardener.
Here’s the lineup:
A plant’s behavior can teach us a lot about its needs, so let’s dig in and get to the bottom of this!
Understanding Aerial RootsAerial roots grow above ground from stem or leaf tissue. Their development may be a typical characteristic of a species that is always present, or an adventitious, random occurrence that coincides with a plant’s need to adapt to some change in its environment.
Four primary functions of aerial roots are: support, moisture absorption, nutrient uptake, and oxygen intake.
In the case of tropical Schlumbergera that in their natural habitat cling to trees and rocks in the sun-dappled shade of a rainforest canopy, these hair-like, brownish growths appear when fundamental needs are unmet.
Let’s find out what they are.
Adapting to SurviveA Christmas cactus is wired to grow in a
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