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Queen of the Night


lavender

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This is queen of the night or night blooming cereus (Epiphyllum oxypetalum or Hylocereus undatus). It blooms at night and the highly fragrant blossoms last only one night. It was sent to me by a member of the Down to Earth Garden Club and I don't think she would mind if I share since I already uploaded to to our facebook page. Kudos to her for getting it to bloom. Isn't it gorgeous!

Video.MOV

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I couldn't get the link to play. It only blooms once and at night? Wow...that adds to the allure and exclusiveness. Do you have a blooming party? Can you tell exactly what night it will bloom? How long does the bloom last?

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It plays for me. I'm not sure if it can be embedded The bloom lasts one night and you can come close to guessing when it will bloom. Mine hasn't bloomed since I moved it to the greenhouse. It needs a specific dark period to initiate bloom and I think the outside lights that are motion sensitive are interrupting that period. Something else to blame on the deer. The woman who sent it watched it with her husband but I don't know if that is a blooming party or not. Some of them will bloom more than once a year but the two blooms on the same night are unusual. If I had the ambition I'd move mine to the garage at night to see if I could get it to bloom again. Try here.. It is worth looking at.  https://www.facebook.com/Down-to-Earth-Garden-Club-793119380750131/?fref=ts&ref=br_tf

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I don't think short periods of artificial light (like a flashlight) are as important as the length of good daylight (and therefore the length and quality of the dark) that they receive in one span because by the time that flashlight hit them, they were already in bloom.  However, even light from a distance can affect the triggers that work while they are in bud, so they need complete darkness for most of that time.

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They seemed to close when the light was shined on them.  Do they reopen to finish the night bloom cycle?  Very interesting to watch.  Thank you.

No, they don't close when the light is shined on them. They do however close at dawn because they only bloom for the one night but it has less to do with light than it does with the length of time the flower is meant to bloom. Like daylilies bloom for just one day.  What you are seeing is the person who is doing the recording stepping backward. It is making the flower look smaller. Also, one of the flowers isn't as open as it eventually will be.

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Actually the following link that was posted is not the same plant. It is Peniocereus greggii  or  Cereus greggii The video I posted is of Epiphyllum oxypetalum or Hylocereus undatus. Those common names can be tricky. They often refer to totally different things. Ours is a not uncommon house plant originating in tropical regions. The other is strictly a desert plant.

Someone once gave me a cutting of a plant that grew from something they had brought out of China as a part of a corsage. They were so excited about it because of how unusual it was.   So was I until I discovered it was this exact same night bloomer that I had filling an 18 inch pot and growing 3 feet tall. I didn't disillusion her. It was a gracious gift. This plant is not uncommon but being able to provide conditions under which it will bloom is tricky. The woman who sent me the video is an expert. Hers blooms quite frequently.

 

http://www.desertusa...ing-cereus.html

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