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Easter Cactus

Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri, Cactaceae

Sources last read 14 September 2026.

Not yet rated How forgiving it is has not been judged here yet.

Also called Holiday Cactus and Whitesun.

Easter Cactus (Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri), the whole plant.
User:Fanghong, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Toxicity is partly unassessed

  • Not assessed for cats. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
  • Not assessed for dogs. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
  • Not assessed for people. NC State Extension publishes no harm statement for this plant. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.

What the sources say about its care

Light
Partial Shade
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Water
Good Drainage, Occasionally Dry
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Humidity

No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.

Most foliage plants prefer more humidity than a heated room gives; succulents are named as an exception
Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Soil
Loam (Silt), Sand; pH Acid (<6.0), Neutral (6.0-8.0)
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to cats
Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.
ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to dogs
Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.
ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
Harmful to people
No record of poisoning in people is listed for this plant; that absence is not evidence it is safe.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026

Routine care

Watering
High humidity suits it, so a humidifier, a saucer of rocks and water beneath the pot, or a spot in a bathroom can help. Water less while it is dormant in winter.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Feeding
Feed monthly while the plant is in active growth.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Propagation
Stem cuttings
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Pests and diseases
Can be troubled by mealybugs and scale insects.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026

Move something and watch

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Flowers of Easter Cactus (Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri).
FlowersEnrique Dans from Madrid, Spain, CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

About the plant

Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri, synonyms Schlumbergera gaertneri and Hatiora gaertneri, is a species of epiphytic cactus which belongs to the tribe Rhipsalideae within the subfamily Cactoideae of the Cactaceae. Together with the hybrid with R. rosea, Rhipsalidopsis × graeseri, it is known, in English speaking countries in the Northern Hemisphere, as Easter cactus or Whitsun cactus and is a widely cultivated ornamental plant. It has received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026

Native range
S. Brazil
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Southern Brazil
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Climate
wet tropical
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Growth form
succulent epiphyte
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Epiphyte, Herbaceous Perennial, Succulent; habit arching, rounded, weeping
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Size
Height 6–12 in; width 18–24 in
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Flowering
Flowers pink, red/burgundy; blooms in spring
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026

Other Rhipsalidopsis

More of the Cactaceae family

Plants with similar care

Sources

What this does not cover

The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.

Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.

If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.