It is endemic to the coastal mountains of south-eastern Brazil where its natural habitats are humid forests and rocky areas.

In cultivation in the Northern Hemisphere, plants flower in the spring – March to April.

[2] The specific epithet opuntioides means "like Opuntia", referring to the appearance of the stems.

& Dusén) D.R.Hunt include:[4] Schlumbergera opuntioides occurs only in the coastal mountains of south-east Brazil, in the states of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Minas Gerais, in the southernmost part of the tropics.

[2] Because of their altitude and proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, the coastal mountains have high humidity – warm moist air is forced upwards into higher, colder locations where it condenses.