I went to a friends house and watched her Cereus Plant bloom lastnight.. I have some growing from the same plant... not quite as big as hers .. look it had 4 blooms and 1 bud
Oh WOW. Just gorgeous! What a treat to have seen these beauties---and a vicarious thrill for us, too! Thanks for sharing these photos. Lovely.
It is often called "Night blooming Cereus", but it is not a Cereus, the name is Epiphyllum oxypetalum.
Epiphyllum oxypetalum , I looked this up and it said it had a bad smell, The one my friend has smells beautiful.. No bad smell at all, even tho the flowers look the same I don't think it is Epiphyllum oxypetalum.
Where did you read that? E. oxypetalum does not smell bad, most people think it has a very nice fragrance.
Wikipedia is known for not always being correct ... (That is, you should check a few more descriptions before you rule out oxypetalum, I'm quite sure that other cactus growers would agree with my identification) Besides, people have different opinions about smells. I myself find the smell of Hoya carnosa repulsive, which many other (but far from all) find very nice.
I am sorry if I offended you , I by no means mean to. I appreciate all the info you give.. I have tried to look up on other sites there is not much out there..As of right now I will assume that it is a possible Epiphyllum oxypetalum. I suppose some would not like the smell but It is a very light flowery, vanilla smell ,I would assume most would like, maby not all.. Again thank you so much for all your helpful information. Wendy
No, I was not offended, just surprised. I'll check if my books mention the scent, but it will take a while before I can look in them.
I was going to post that it was Epiphyllum oxypetalum, but saw that Mandarin did. I have one in my backyard, used to have two. I was told they were night-blooming cereus when I got them ten years ago from a neighbor, then discovered they were Epiphyllum oxypetalum through my own research. I am fully confident in my identification of my specimen, and yours looks like mine. Smell was pleasant enough in bloom, and the scent of the greenery is not at all offensive to me. No blooms at this time, alas. However, I find the scent of some of my tropicals to be nauseating, yet others love them. I just keep things like Dracaena massangeana outside and away from any windows when in bloom.
When i read the Wikipedia article more carefully I saw that the flowers are described as "very fragrant" (under "Description"). If you look under "History" the first sentence reads "This species was originally described from cultivated material ...", and that is what the "very fragrant" applies to. Later on in the same paragraph: "C. A. Purpus collected a slightly different type in St. Ana, Orizaba, Mexico. It has carmine red outer petals and the flowers have an unpleasant smell, rather than being fragrant" (my underlining). My interpretation is that the plant with unpleasant smell is not the one you have, but another plant that resembles it. I believe it was mentioned to give a hint on where this kind of cacti comes from.
Wow, those flowers are absolutely beautiful. Thanks for posting the photos. Hmm, the wikipedia entry (I know, I know...might not be 100% accurate) suggests that it can be grown here in California, is "easily cultivated", and "fast growing". I really don't think I've seen this in my neighborhood, but perhaps without the flowers I wouldn't notice it.
It's kinda awkward looking without the flowers. Meh, I've always gone for the Morticia Addams thing. Weird is good for me. These long flat blades can seem to arch out of nowhere with no particular purpose in mind. You should be able to grow it just fine. The one I lost was due to our infrequent frosts, but I was given them after another frost wiped them out almost to the soil surface. They both came back that time. Not so a few years later.
I also enjoy having a few strange looking plants. Not a garden full of them, but a smattering are nice to keep things interesting. Not much danger of frost here! Well, the occasional very light frost. Not enough to have ever killed anything in my garden. The summer heat, well that's another story...
Thank you sooooo much mandarin .. yea I think it is what you said ... I did not copy and paste.. Sorry I doubted you..what was I thinkin?? But you can see how I got confused.....they play with words.... I am so not about that...Now I cannot wait till mine blooms.. just can't wait!!
you could always put it in a planter and if ever there was a chance of cold stuff you could take it in :D
For many years my mom and dad have been volunteer tour guides at Falaise, the estate of Harry Guggenheim at Sands Point, NY. What a joint! (Hempstead House, also overseen by the Nassau County Museum System, was recently featured in the all-too-short-lived TV show Kings.) Back in the day---when $$$ existed for grounds maintenance---the landscaping was gorgeous. 1000s of bulbs blooming in spring, agapanthus in the courtyard...There was also a greenhouse. Every year the volunteers, museum folk, and the horticulturist would have a nighttime party to witness the flowering of the resident Night-Blooming Cereus. It was an Event!
I'm just reading this thread now. I have the opportunity to get my hands on one of these. How often do they bloom? Thanks
Epiphyllum oxypetalum can be unpredictable. I believe they are supposed to flower on summer nights, but some people report them year round, sometimes multiple bloom periods through the year. I'm subtropical, or cooler than the native habitat, but mine has only bloomed toward the end of summer and into fall. Some years not at all.
Sorry so late but any hoo.. this plant belongs to a friend ..in the past it only bloomed once a year with 1 flower at night on a full moon... this year it bloomed , three .. with 5 blooms we think because she has been watering it with worm tea.... :D
