The Christmas cactus with its flowers is an epiphytic cactus that is a native of the country of Brazil. It is a very popular houseplant with segments that are flat and jointed and with rose purple flowers.  These beautiful flowers usually bloom in winter. The Christmas cactus with its flowers can be found in the wild growing in the forks of the limbs of trees; this is where they will feed off decayed leaves.

A Christmas cactus is given its name because, when it is properly cared for, will be in full bloom during the Christmas holiday season. It is crucial to maintain the correct temperature during the fall. They are usually house plants and it is important to keep the inside temperature around 50 degrees F. The plant needs to be away from heating vents and doors that open to the outside, if this is not accomplished the plant will not produce flowers.

The proper lighting is very important in getting the Christmas cactus to bloom at holiday time. They need to be in bright indirect light in the daytime and at night it needs complete darkness, which means no lamps, television, or night lights.

As far as watering is concerned you can conform to the same guidelines for any tropical plant. You need to water the cactus completely and then permit the soil to dry. Once the top inch of the soil is dry it is time to water again. Less water is needed during the fall and winter months.

In order for the Christmas cactus to remain alive it likes a bit of humidity, roughly 50 to 60 percent. The air around the plant will stay humid if you place a bowl of water near it and the water starts to evaporate. If you place your cactus on a saucer with small pebbles, and then pour water half way up, it will provide continuous humidity.

You can fertilize the plant with liquid fertilizer that has a nitrogen ratio of 10 percent at the end of October to early November. In order to tell how much nitrogen is in the fertilizer is simple; there is a set of three numbers on the container and the first number is the percent of nitrogen.

Christmas cacti are generally used at Christmas to enliven the decorations. The plants have very colorful flowers so they do not need any additional decorations. Since the cacti leaves are flat, large, and pendulous with the flowers blooming at the end of the stem it is probably best to place the plants in hanging baskets. Once the plant has started to bloom it will probably continue to do so clear up to March and their blossoms will peak during the month of January. This is the reason why Christmas cactus with its flowers is considered to be a wonderful gift for giving during the Christmas holidays.