Plant of the Cactaceae plant family

#The invention relates to a new and distinct plant variety of the Cactaceae family and which has been named the Zygocactus truncatus `Christmas Flame` by the inventor.

#Certain plant varieties of the Cactaceae family are well known in the foliage plant market and among these are those which are commonly referred to as the Christmas Cactus varieties because they tend to bloom during the Thanksgiving-Christmas holiday season.

#The Christmas Cactus varieties on the market have blooms which vary in color from one variety to the next as is evident from the current U.S. patent art. However, the only Christmas Cactus variety known to the inventors and which has a generally "yellow" colored bloom is the "Gold Charm" variety which forms the subject matter of U.S. Plant Pat. No. 5,104.

#The accompanying drawings serve by color photographic means to illustrate the new plant variety and wherein one sheet shows a ten (10) month old specimen which was grown from the propagation of a single phylloclade in a conventional 3" pot found in the marketplace. A second sheet shows an enlargement of a fully open bloom taken from the specimen shown in the photograph of the previously mentioned sheet. Still another sheet shows a bloom as sectioned generally longitudinally through the perianth tube and ovary to expose the style and stamen arrangement. The last sheet shows two horizontal rows of phylloclades that bear buds in various stages of development, the phylloclades in the bottom row having been taken from specimens of the new plant variety while the phylloclades in the top row were taken from a specimen of the "Gold Charm" variety and are shown to provide comparison.

#The following is a detailed description of the new plant variety with colors and hues, unless otherwise clearly indicated by the text as, for example, through the absence of color notations, being named in accord with the ISCC-NBS Method of Designating Colors (U.S. Dept. of Commerce, National Bureau of Standards, Circular 553), the named colors being interpreted from color notations derived by comparison with the color specimens of the Munsell Book of Color. The description is further based on observations of well fertilized plants of about one year of age from initial propagation which were grown under 50-75% shaded glasshouse nursery conditions in the Winter Garden, Fla. area and wherein temperatures range from 60.degree.-85.degree. F. during the winter months, from 75.degree.-95.degree. F. during the summer months, and are ambient during the intervening periods.

#I. Name: Zygocactus truncatus `Christmas Flame`.

#II. Parentage: This variety was developed from a natural mutation that occurred on a specimen of the variety known as Zygocactus truncatus `Gold Charm` (See U.S. Plant Pat. No. 5,104).