Schlumbergera truncata (Zygocactus truncactus)

Japanese: シャコバサボテン（英語表記）Schlumbergera truncata (Zygocactus truncactus)

A succulent plant of the Cactaceae family. It is native to the mountains outside Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It grows on rocks and trees. What appears to be a series of leaves is actually a flattened stem, with 5-6 leaf-like stem nodes that hang down in an arch. The stem is shallowly sawtoothed, and both ends at the top are sharply pointed. It blooms around December, so it is called Christmas cactus, and in Japan it is also called Denmark cactus after where it was introduced. The flowers are bilaterally symmetrical and fused into a tube, making it clearly distinguishable from the Easter cactus, which is radially symmetrical. The flower color is basically pink-red, but there are many varieties in red, white, and pale orange. The fruit has almost no ridges and is beautiful when ripe and red, but it is highly self-incompatible and does not bear fruit easily unless cross-pollinated with other varieties. It can be distinguished from the closely related crab cactus by its blunt stem nodes, actinomorphic flowers, and blooming in February to March, but there are also hybrids that have been crossed with Schlumbergera. When in bloom, keep it in a bright shaded area indoors. Water it when the soil surface has dried, and occasionally use a spray bottle to add moisture to the stems and leaves. Keep it outdoors in partial shade from May to September, and refrain from watering.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

サボテン科の多肉植物。原産地はブラジルのリオデジャネイロ郊外の山地。岩上や樹上に着生する。葉が連なったようにみえるのは扁平な茎で，葉状の茎節は5～6節連なり，弓状に垂れる。浅い鋸歯状に切れ込み，上部の両端は鋭くとがる。 12月頃開花するので，クリスマスカクタスと呼ばれ，日本では導入先にちなんでデンマークカクタスの呼び方もされる。花は左右相称で筒状に合着し，放射相称のイースターカクタスとははっきり区別がつく。花色は桃紅色が基本であるが，紅色，白色，淡橙色など多彩な品種がある。果実は稜がほとんどなく，赤く熟して美しいが，自家不和合性が強く，異品種間で交配しないと結実しにくい。近縁種のカニバサボテンは，茎節の縁がとがらず，花は放射相称で，2～3月頃開花する点で区別できるが，シャコバサボテンとの交配による雑種もある。開花時には室内の明るい日陰で管理。水やりは土の表面が乾いてから行い，ときどき霧吹きで茎葉に水分を補うとよい。5～9月は戸外の半日陰で管理し，水を断つ。

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