She blooms in full and her beauty is only witnessed by the night sky and, by dawn, she
wilts even before the sun’s first kiss; with only her fragrant scent left as the ghost
of her evening arrival.
Known by many names such as the Princess of the Night or the Queen of the Night, the Cereus
cactus is a species of cactus whose flower only blooms at night, typically between the
months of July and October.
However, one class of cereus – possibly coming from the species Epiphyllum Oxypetalum
– blooms one night a year and enthusiasts of this species make it a point that they
do not miss it.
The blossom it produces on the night it blooms is described to be the size of a new-born
infant’s head and, by dawn, its pristine, white petals wilt and the flower dies leaving
only its strong fragrant scent that is equally anticipated by many.
This night-bloomer has trumpet-shaped flowers with creamy-white, waxy petals.
In full bloom, the flower can measure up to 4 inches wide and as much as 8 inches long.
Depending on how they are grown and cultivated, these cacti can stand erect or be trained
to sprawl a trellis.
Unfortunately for most of us, this Queen of the Night is only found in deserts, the subtropics
of Southwestern United States, Central and South America, and the Antilles.
However, at least one species of Cereus has been successfully grown from clippings and
is now a popular houseplant.
Without their sought-after blooms, these cacti typically look fairly common with gnarled,
dry nests or a strange cactus-orchid hybrid with leaves – not really something that
will turn heads and make a jaw-dropping impression.
According to Marc Hachadourian of the New York Botanical Gardens’ Nolen Greenhouses,
the plant is “kind of big and gangly and awkward,” as he describes the cactus species.
He continues by saying that the “lure of those blooms is worth it,” referring to
the plant’s extraordinary behaviour when its buds begin to blossom.
These night blooming flowers will not actually begin to blossom until they are about four
or five years old; and by then, they will only begin with only a few flowers.
With a little patience and time though, the incidence of blooming flowers will increase
as the plant ages.
Some breeders speed up the flowers’ blooming process by keeping their plants in dark environments
all day to mimic night-time conditions during blooming season.
But regardless of the methods to make the buds blossom, the Cereus will only open its
buds at night and will wither and wilt by dawn.
You may think that with this peculiar behaviour that the plants would have died out by now
but these night bloomers are pollinated by a species of moth - called the Hawk Moth - that
is drawn to its fragrance.
Several other species of nocturnal insects and animals like bats also contribute in pollination.
The occurrence of the bloom is quite a rarity that many enthusiasts and hobbyists make it
an annual event where they would gather like-minded friends, family members, and even passers-by
to witness the Queen of the Night awake from her slumber in an explosion of intoxicating
fragrance.
A Facebook page called The Queen of the Night Society has even turned itself into a small
community in their little neighbourhood of Hudson, NY.
The members of the group have their own plants and they are more than happy to exchange tips
and tricks in caring for their little night blooming plants.
At the Tohono Chul botanical garden in Arizona, staff at the facility spend months closely
monitoring all 300 of their native, night-blooming cereus to make sure that they are in peak
health and, of course, to know when they are due to bloom.
On the night that the flowers are expected to bloom, Tohono Chul operates late into the
night and sets up a small event serving food and drinks to both loyal guests and curious
visitors.
According to Jo Falls, an educator at Tohono Chul, “…it’s really just an excuse to
be out in the desert after dark to see what many people see as this absolutely magical
flower.”
Because the flowers bloom according to specific weather and environmental conditions such
as rainfall, humidity, and temperature, most species go full bloom during rainy periods
in the summer.
Some plants even seem to follow a lunar cycle where buds open up around a full moon.
Blooming typically happens between sunset and midnight and it takes at least an hour
to three hours for all the petals to unfold.
Once they do, a wave of fragrance resembling magnolia or gardenia will flood its area and
the senses of those around it, beckoning them like pheromones to marvel at its beauty.
Unlike the character in Mozart’s Magic Flute, this Queen of the Night is a lady of wonderment
and beauty; and like a fickle lover, she will quickly slip away from your grasp once you
take your eyes off her when the dawn breaks.