Plant guide
Christmas Cactus
Schlumbergera × buckleyi
Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera × buckleyi) is considered non-toxic to cats. Published toxicity information for this exact hybrid is limited, so this is not a guarantee of harmlessness. Keep it for decoration, rather than for your cat to eat.
Non-toxic does not mean edible. Eating plant material can still upset your cat’s stomach.
What this guide covers: This guide covers Schlumbergera × buckleyi, the Christmas-cactus hybrid. Other holiday cacti require their own identification.
Photo:
Photo details
Schlumbergera X buckleyi.jpg
By The original uploader was Sadambio at Hungarian Wikipedia.
License: CC BY-SA 3.0
Resized and converted to WebP for display; botanical details unchanged.
This displayed image is shared under the same CC BY-SA 3.0 license.
Plant identity
- Scientific name
- Schlumbergera × buckleyi
- Scope
- Hybrid
- Family
- Cactaceae
- Also known as
- True Christmas Cactus, Epiphyllum × buckleyi
Find the right spot
How to grow this plant
Container growing guidance for Schlumbergera × buckleyi.
- Light
- Bright indirect light
Provide bright, indirect light. This is a forest cactus, rather than a desert plant for baking sun.
- Watering
- Keep evenly moist
Keep the mix evenly moist during active growth, but avoid a persistently wet root zone.
- Temperature
- Active growth: 70–80°F / 21–27°C
For bud formation, nights around 55-65°F (13-18°C) and about 13 hours of darkness are useful. This is a seasonal treatment, not the normal growing range.
- Humidity
- Higher humidity
Prefers humid air.
- Potting
- Use an airy, well-drained mix.
- Through the year
- For autumn bud formation, provide long uninterrupted nights and cooler conditions; water less after flowering. Once buds develop, avoid drafts and abrupt changes in temperature, humidity or watering that can cause bud drop.
Growing-guide sources
- schlumbergera x buckleyi - Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗NC State Extension · Accessed 2026-11-01
Care guidance for the named taxon; indoor recommendations take precedence over outdoor hardiness information.
Growing advice reviewed 2026-11-01. Plant safety is assessed separately.
Reviewed safety information
- Toxic principle
- Not recorded in the reviewed evidence
- Reported signs
- Not recorded in the reviewed evidence
Missing information is unknown. It should not be interpreted as an absence of risk.
Safe alternatives
No verified alternative recommendations are available for this guide.
Sources & review
- Christmas cactus — Schlumbergera x buckleyi ↗University of Zurich, Institute of Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology · Accessed
Listed by the source as Epiphyllum x buckleyi. The veterinary entry explicitly includes the basionym Epiphyllum x buckleyi and the same parent cross. Kew lists Epiphyllum × buckleyi as the homotypic synonym. ASCII x and × denote the hybrid marker here; this does not map Schlumbergera bridgesii or truncata to this hybrid.
- Schlumbergera × buckleyi — accepted hybrid and synonyms ↗Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · Accessed 2026-10-12
Safety last reviewed .