Cactaceae plant

Abstract

A new and distinct plant variety of the Cactaceae family which is sterile and in comparison to the `Christmas Magic` variety is principally distinguished by a growth habit which includes a greater natural tendency for branching without the need for pruning, a greater resistance to nutrient deficiencies, a greater resistance to stem breakage, a slightly lesser resistance to bud abscission, a habit of producing more blooms on specimens of comparable age at an earlier date in the blooming season and with a slightly longer bloom life, and a habit of producing blooms with a fuller bodied appearance and enhanced color.

I claim: 
     
       1. The new and distinct plant variety of the Cactaceae family as described and illustrated herein and which is principally distinguished by a growth habit combining the following characteristics: (1) a greater natural tendency for branching without the need for pruning than the `Christmas Magic` variety,   (2) a greater resistance to nutrient deficiencies than the `Christmas Magic` variety,   (3) a greater resistance to stem breakage than the `Christmas Magic` variety,   (4) a slightly lesser resistance to bud abscission than the `Christmas Magic` variety,   (5) a habit of producing more blooms on specimens of comparable age at an earlier date in the blooming season, and with a slightly longer bloom life than the `Christmas Magic` variety,   (6) a habit of producing blooms with a substantially larger number of tepals in the tube laminating series of tepals, and with tepals in the tube laminating and tube forming series of tepals which average slightly greater width dimensions in comparison to the `Christmas Magic` variety,   (7) a bloom with more uniform and greater coverage of the marginal and center field areas of the blades of the tube forming and tube laminating series of tepals with color dominated by purplish red and/or reddish purplish hues in comparison to the `Christmas Magic` variety,   (8) sterile specimens.