Christmas cactus

4.1

A houseplant from Brazil with flat stem sections and pink or purple flowers that bloom in winter

noun
/ˈkrɪs·məs ˈkæk·təs/

: cactus de Navidad

Examples

He had actually kicked at his father's dog, and the other day he deliberately dropped his mother's Christmas cactus, still wrapped in its florist's foil.

Fiction book (1998)
The Christmas cactus blooms with beautiful rose-purple flowers during the winter season.
To keep a Christmas cactus healthy, make sure it gets indirect sunlight.
A Christmas cactus can thrive in your home if you provide it with proper care and attention.

Synonyms

Schlumbergera baridgesii

vsChristmas cactus

Specialized

9.9

A cactus grown as a houseplant with flat jointed stems and purple winter flowers

is the general popular houseplant name rather than a technical species term

Schlumbergera buckleyi

vsChristmas cactus

Specialized

9.9

A cactus from Brazil kept as a houseplant with flat jointed stems and purple winter flowers

is the broad common houseplant label focusing on popularity not species identity

Decembrist

vsChristmas cactus

7.6

A houseplant with bright flowers that blooms in December

is used for the same plant but indicates winter blooms rather than a specific month

Surface Forms

Christmas cactus singular

Christmas cactuses plural

Christmas cacti plural

Morphology

Christmas + cactus

The meaning is directly compositional: a cactus associated with Christmas (i.e., a cactus that blooms around or is used at Christmas). This follows a regular noun-noun naming pattern and is cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows 'Christmas' and 'cactus' can infer the referent.

Etymology

Christmas cactus gets its name because this kind of cactus often makes bright flowers in winter, right around Christmas. So the name helps you remember it is a houseplant that 'blooms' at the holiday season.