Orchid Cactus: Oxymoron or My Next Plant Purchase?

One of the best parts about being an orchid enthusiast is that there’s always something you don’t know: trippy types you’ve never seen or heard of, something weird certain types of orchids do, popular flavors you never realized were from orchids. With some 28,000 species, orchid lovers will always have something new to learn—and something new to try and grow. 

Something like an orchid cactus. 

Orchid cactus in bloom. Toshiyuki IMAI. Flickr, June 7, 2009. https://www.flickr.com/photos/matsuyuki/

First things first: an orchid cactus isn’t actually an orchid. It’s a cactus. So why the name? 

When most of us think of cacti, we probably picture tall, prickly desert plants. But that’s not a fitting description of an orchid cactus either. These weirdos possess a combo of orchid features and cactus features. 

Orchid cacti belong to the Epiphyllum genus (of which there is 19 species). Epiphyllums, or “epis,” are epiphytes, which means they don’t grow in the soil, but instead grow attached to something else, like a big tree. Phalaenopsis, cattleya, and many other orchids are epiphytes, so that’s one quality these cacti share with orchids. They require a similar coarse, airy potting medium consisting primarily of orchid bark to simulate their natural growing conditions.  

Unlike a desert cactus, the native environment of an orchid cactus isn’t dry or sunny. Epis come from the wet, warm rainforests of South and Central America. Similar to orchids, epis require heat, humidity, but they can usually tolerate a bit more direct sun than most orchids. They can also handle colder night temperatures, which can help induce blooms, just as with orchids. 

Orchid cactus flower. gunthercox via Wikimedia Commons.

The most exciting similarity between orchids and orchid cacti is their spectacular flowers. Other cacti flower, but not like this. Epiphyllums give orchids a run for their money when it comes to their blooms, which typically emerge in early spring. 

Epis naturally flower at only at night, such as the infamous night-blooming cereus. But for centuries plant cultivators and botanists have sought out and crossbred these plants to find and/or produce ones that bloom during the day. Still, most save their best for nighttime. 

Night-blooming cereus flower for only a few hours, so there’s a lot of build-up to the short but dramatic grand finale. My night-blooming cereus is the weirdest-looking plant I own—its bud looked like it walked off the set of Stranger Things. 

My night-blooming cereus.

Close-up.

While I got my night-blooming cereus to flower last September, I haven’t been as successful with my other orchid cactus, which hasn’t ever bloomed in the five or so years I’ve had it. I suspect I haven’t been giving it quite enough light (you can see below how thin and leggy some of the growth is) and it’s due for a repot as well. Since orchids and orchid cacti don’t live in dense, nutrient-rich soil, it’s advisable to repot them in new bark every 2 or so years. 

My goal is to get this one popping color within the next year. I won’t even complain if it happens at night. 

My orchid cactus.