Blooming Cactus Types

Large Summer Bloomers

• Arid deserts and tropical regions of the Americas feature cactus in many natural settings. Among the most common plants are barrel cactus, saguaro and prickly pear. Prickly pear (Opuntia) plants have wide, flat pads with yellow, red or purple flowers which then become "pears" or edible fruit, long popular with indigenous peoples. Saguaros (Carnegiea gigantea) are the tall "armed" cactus that provide shelter for many desert birds. Their small yellow and white blooms appear in May and June. Large barrel cactus (Echinocactus or Ferocactus) can grow as high as 10 feet and typically feature yellow-green or red flowers.

Medium & Small Bloomers

• Mammillarias are small or medium-sized plants, that either grow alone or clump into groups. These cacti bloom in shades of pink, red, white and yellow. Hundreds of species have been documented. Notocactus are cactus plants native to Brazil and Uruguay; many of them resemble pin cushions. They bloom in numerous colors, including red, yellow, white, pink, purple and orange – all shades between. Other genera include Rebutia, Gymnocalycium, Lobivia, Ariocarpus and the rare Uebelmannia.

Night Bloomers

• The Epiphyllum (often incorrectly termed the night-blooming cereus) is in bloom for only one night. The two plants commonly called nightblooming cereus and queen of the night refer to different types of cacti. Among the night bloomers are Selenicereus grandiflorus, and Schlumbergera and Rhipsalidopsis hybrids. These late summer or autumn blooms commonly are white or white with pale yellow, except Nopalxochia ackermannii, Heliocereus aurantiacus and H. speciosus, which have reddish or purplish-red flowers.

Winter Blooms

• Christmas and Thanksgiving cactus, or Schlumbergera, can bloom anytime, however most bloom during the winter months. The types frequently sold in shops in the U.S. and Canada as Thanksgiving cactus or false Christmas cactus are Schlumbergera truncata cultivars. True Christmas cactus is Schlumbergera x buckleyi, a hybrid between S. russelliana and S. truncata. Bloom colors are commonly pink, white or red.