The Night Blooming Cactus - More Common Than Once Thought
The Night Blooming Cactus - More Common Than Once Thought
There is nothing more spectacular or incongruous as a prickly cactus bearing beautiful flowers of startling variety and color. While not an isolated phenomenon, the night blooming cactus is also quite a spectacular and very brief sight. There are two major genus of night blooming cactus and they are Selenicereus and Hylocereus.
Most Notable Specimens
The most known night blooming cactus to the general public is often referred to as night blooming cereus or Queen of the Night. There are in fact at least three different types of this night blooming cactus that are in the Selenicereus genus. The most recognized bloomer is called the Moonlight Cacti with pretty white flowers about six inches in diameter with long protruding light yellow centers.
The Arizona Queen of the Night is a different night blooming cactus species which produces, for only a few hours, flowers up to a foot in diameter and produces a light scent of vanilla before closing up. A night bloomer called the Dutchmen's Pipe is yet another recognizable cactus, at least in horticultural circles, which also produces white flowers which close up before dawn.
A few varieties of the night blooming cactus in the Hylocereus genus live in Central and South America. Some of these are particularly special because not only do they bloom they also produce edible fruit called dragonfruits. Mexico and parts of Asia (particularly Vietnam) also have this night blooming cactus, too.
There are also many hybrid night blooming cactus are found in many households and are known as the orchid cactus. These predominately after dusk bloomers are more prolific with its flowers and occasionally, their blooms last longer than a day.
How They Stay Alive
Many of the night blooming cactus don't look as if they could sustain themselves, much less produce beautiful blooms. However, thanks to an underground tuber system, these cacti are learned to ration the trapped nutrients and water in this tuber growth throughout the drought seasons. Many of these underground tubers that feed the cacti can weigh over fifty pounds or more, depending on the climate and how often the area gets water.
Night blooming cactus, while not rare, are still cool enough to warrant a lot of attention because its blooming appearance is so atypical of what people perceive of cacti. They are strange and don't produce a lot of flowers so when you do see them, it is an awe-inspiring sight.