Schlumbergera truncata 'White' (White Christmas Cactus)

White-flowering Schlumbergera truncata has an elegance the more vibrant holiday cactus colors can't quite claim. The blossoms are tubular and flared, pure white with just a hint of pink at the base where the petals emerge from the receptacle, giving each flower a delicate, glowing quality in low winter light. Bloom period runs from late October through November. The effect on a white-painted sill or a dark shelf in a dim room is quietly dramatic.

Like all truncata forms, this one is a cloud-forest native from coastal Brazil, and it appreciates the conditions that suggests: indirect light, moderate and consistent moisture, some humidity, and normal household temperatures for most of the year. It's an epiphyte in the wild, so its roots like good air circulation and resent sitting in soggy soil.

The same plant, with this simple annual routine, can bloom for decades.