It is endemic to a small area of the coastal mountains of south-eastern Brazil where its natural habitat is moist forest.

The stems (cladodes) are composed of strongly flattened segments, which have a small number of notches along their edges.

[1] Special structures characteristic of cacti, called "areoles", occur in the notches at the side of a segment and at the end.

[1] The species was discovered for science in Brazil in 1837 by George Gardner, whose patron was John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford.

[2] Synonyms include:[2] Schlumbergera russelliana occurs only in a small area of the coastal mountains of south-east Brazil, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, located in the southernmost part of the tropics.

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.