We have a Christmas cactus type that is flowering now, very
prolifically. Ray brought it into the house yesterday and it's on an
east facing window sill, which isn't curtained. What we're wondering
is which variety it is and perhaps Kay - or others - will recognise the
description. The colour is a pinky coral with some light pink
coloration towards the base of each flower. But what is interesting is
that the flowers are double - a sort of hose-in-hose arrangement, for
want of a better description. Anyone know this?
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon

Sacha wrote:
We have a Christmas cactus type that is flowering now, very
prolifically. Ray brought it into the house yesterday and it's on an
east facing window sill, which isn't curtained. What we're wondering is
which variety it is and perhaps Kay - or others - will recognise the
description. The colour is a pinky coral with some light pink
coloration towards the base of each flower. But what is interesting is
that the flowers are double - a sort of hose-in-hose arrangement, for
want of a better description. Anyone know this?

A reasonable list of the named cultivars is online at:

http://www.umass.edu/umext/floricult...ops/cacti.html

But they are fairly promiscuous and a lot of the ones sold these days
are hybrids of Schlumbergia (Zygocactus) truncatus. You can get a wide
range of colours although yellow and white are rarer and will not come
true if the house is too cold - the pink will still be expressed.

"Holiday" cacti really grates. But it is otherwise a good site.

Regards,
Martin Brown

Martin Brown wrote:

But they are fairly promiscuous and a lot of the ones sold these days
are hybrids of Schlumbergia (Zygocactus) truncatus. You can get a wide
range of colours although yellow and white are rarer and will not come
true if the house is too cold - the pink will still be expressed.

Ah!!! We had one with pink flowers in Winter, but strangely had white
flowers this Summer - this confused both me and the Mrs. I thought
perhaps she had swapped it for another one on the windowsill. So they
CAN change flower colour then?

--
David in Normandy.
To e-mail you must include the password FROG on the
subject line, or it will be automatically deleted
by a filter and not reach my inbox.

"David in Normandy" wrote in message
news:4aedeb5d$0$968
Ah!!! We had one with pink flowers in Winter, but strangely had white
flowers this Summer - this confused both me and the Mrs. I thought perhaps
she had swapped it for another one on the windowsill. So they CAN change
flower colour then?



Perhaps -
Sacha - is yours anything along these lines.



Regards
Pete
www.thecanalshop.com

David in Normandy wrote:
Martin Brown wrote:

But they are fairly promiscuous and a lot of the ones sold these days
are hybrids of Schlumbergia (Zygocactus) truncatus. You can get a wide
range of colours although yellow and white are rarer and will not come
true if the house is too cold - the pink will still be expressed.

Ah!!! We had one with pink flowers in Winter, but strangely had white
flowers this Summer - this confused both me and the Mrs. I thought
perhaps she had swapped it for another one on the windowsill. So they
CAN change flower colour then?

They are nominally white or yellow. But if you don't keep them warm
enough while the flowers are in formation the dominant pink pigment
still gets expressed. My house isn't quite warm enough most winters so
my "pure" white ones usually have at least tinge of pink.

I am still on the lookout for a decent yellow one.

Regards,
Martin Brown

On 2009-11-01 21:22:19 +0000, "Pete Stockdale"
said:


"David in Normandy" wrote in message
news:4aedeb5d$0$968
Ah!!! We had one with pink flowers in Winter, but strangely had white
flowers this Summer - this confused both me and the Mrs. I thought perhaps
she had swapped it for another one on the windowsill. So they CAN change
flower colour then?



Perhaps -
Sacha - is yours anything along these lines.



Regards
Pete
www.thecanalshop.com

Not as to colour, no. As to form, yes. I'll have to find the camera
and take a pic tomorrow. Thanks to everyone. Once I get a photo it
might help pin it down. I like that white and pink one a lot more, I
may say!
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon

Sacha writes
We have a Christmas cactus type that is flowering now, very
prolifically. Ray brought it into the house yesterday and it's on an
east facing window sill, which isn't curtained. What we're wondering
is which variety it is and perhaps Kay - or others - will recognise the
description. The colour is a pinky coral with some light pink
coloration towards the base of each flower. But what is interesting is
that the flowers are double - a sort of hose-in-hose arrangement, for
want of a better description. Anyone know this?

That sounds about standard flower shape for Zygocactus (Schlumbergia).
And mine are in flower now, as are my father's.

Can't help on varieties - they're not one of my enthusiasms.

--
Kay

On 2009-11-02 13:52:13 +0000, K said:

Sacha writes
We have a Christmas cactus type that is flowering now, very
prolifically. Ray brought it into the house yesterday and it's on an
east facing window sill, which isn't curtained. What we're wondering
is which variety it is and perhaps Kay - or others - will recognise the
description. The colour is a pinky coral with some light pink
coloration towards the base of each flower. But what is interesting is
that the flowers are double - a sort of hose-in-hose arrangement, for
want of a better description. Anyone know this?

That sounds about standard flower shape for Zygocactus (Schlumbergia).
And mine are in flower now, as are my father's.

Can't help on varieties - they're not one of my enthusiasms.

Thanks, Kay - at least I know its proper name now.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon