Nightblooming cereus
Encyclopedia
Cereus
Cereus is a genus of cactus. The term cereus is also used to describe cacti with very elongated bodies, including columnar growth cacti and epiphytic cacti...
cacti
Cacti
-See also:* RRDtool The underlying software upon which Cacti is built* MRTG The original Multi Router Traffic Grapher from which RRDtool was "extracted".* Munin -External links:******...
that bloom at night. Because of the short life of the flowers, the nightblooming cereus has a romanticized reputation and has given rise to erroneous beliefs, such as that the plants bloom only once a year, or only on nights when the moon is full The nightblooming cereus is also referred to as Princess of the Night, Honolulu Queen (for Hylocereus undatus
Hylocereus undatus
Hylocereus undatus is a species of Cactaceae and is the most cultivated species in the genus. It is used both as an ornamental vine and as a fruit crop - the Pitaya or Dragonfruit...
, commonly grown in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
), Queen of the Night
Queen of the Night
-Botany:* Queen of the night, Nightblooming cereus, several genera and species of cactus* Queen of the night, Cestrum nocturnum, a woody evergreen commonly known as Night-blooming Cestrum-Music:...
, or Reina de la Noche.
Varieties
Most nightblooming cereus refer to flowering cacti of the cereusCereus
Cereus is a genus of cactus. The term cereus is also used to describe cacti with very elongated bodies, including columnar growth cacti and epiphytic cacti...
genus. While many cacti referred to as nightblooming cereus belong to the Tribe Cereaae, other night-blooming cacti in the Subfamily Cactoideae may also be called nightblooming cereus. Cacti called cereus include these genera and/or species:
- Cereus
- Echinopsis (usually Echinopsis pachanoi, San Pedro cactus)
- Epiphyllum (usually Epiphyllum oxypetalumEpiphyllum oxypetalumEpiphyllum oxypetalum is a species of cactus and one of the most cultivated species in the genus. It is a variety of nightblooming Cereus and often confused with species of Selenicereus.-Synonymy:*Cereus oxypetalus Moc. & Sesse ex de Candolle Prodr...
, Gooseneck cactus; grown as an indoor houseplant throughout the world, and the most popular cultivated night blooming cereus) - Eriocereus
- Harrisia
- Hylocereus (of which Hylocereus undatus is the most frequently cultivated outdoors, and is the main source of the commercial fruit crop, "Dragonfruit")
- Monvillea
- Nyctocereus (usually Nyctocereus serpentinus)
- Peniocereus (Peniocereus greggii, the best known, is strictly a desert plant which grows from an underground tuber and is infrequently cultivated)
- Selenicereus (usually Selenicereus grandiflorus)
- Trichocereus
Description
Regardless of genus or species, night blooming cereus flowers are almost always white, often large, and frequently fragrant. Most of the flowers open after nightfall, and by dawn, most are in the process of wilting. The plants that bear such flowers can be tall, columnar, and sometimes extremely large and tree-like, but more frequently are thin-stemmed climbers. While some night blooming cereus are grown indoors in homes or greenhouses in colder climates, most of these plants are too large or ungainly for this treatment, and are only found outdoors in tropical areas.Cultivation and uses
Some night blooming cereus plants produce fruits which are large enough for people to consume. These include some of the members of the genus Cereus, but most commonly the fruit of the Hylocereus. The Hylocereus fruit have the advantage of lacking exterior spines, in contrast to the fruit of cacti such as the Selenicereus fruit, being brightly colored, and having a pleasant taste. Since the late 1990s, Hylocereus fruit have been commercially grown and sold in tropical locations like Australia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, and Hawaii.Around 2000, the name "Dragonfruit" was created for promotional purposes in English-speaking countries, undoubtedly influenced by the very successful renaming of "hairy gooseberries" as "Kiwifruit
Kiwifruit
The kiwifruit, often shortened to kiwi in many parts of the world, is the edible berry of a cultivar group of the woody vine Actinidia deliciosa and hybrids between this and other species in the genus Actinidia....
" earlier in the 20th century. The unusual exterior of a Hylocereus fruit, with its protruding growths, inspired the reference to dragons. Hylocereus fruits are also called pitaya. Increasing commercial cultivation, and the hybridizing of new varieties, is occurring for this fairly new crop. However, dragonfruit are usually somewhat expensive during their season (summer) and are still a specialty for most consumers.
In Culture and Media
- In the 18th century, Dr. Robert John Thornton commissioned the creation of lavishly illustrated portfolio of flora called "Temple of Flora". Plate #14 is of a "Night Blowing Cereus". (Missouri Botanical Garden Library )
- John WesleyJohn WesleyJohn Wesley was a Church of England cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, as founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield...
, "John Wesley's Journal", Mon. 24 July 1780, describes the blooming and fading of the "Nightly Cereus" which had a 125mm dia. white centre, and 225mm dia. "yellow ray" petals. - In Hawaii, nightblooming cereus crown the lava rocks that border Punahou SchoolPunahou SchoolPunahou School, once known as Oahu College, is a private, co-educational, college preparatory school located in Honolulu CDP, City and County of Honolulu in the U.S. State of Hawaii...
. They are so associated with the school that their Hawaiian name is panini o kapunahou. and are regularly seen in many of the school's graphics, including that of the class of '74. - The nightblooming cereus was featured in Barbara KingsolverBarbara KingsolverBarbara Kingsolver is an American novelist, essayist and poet. She was raised in rural Kentucky and lived briefly in the former Republic of Congo in her early childhood. Kingsolver earned degrees in biology at DePauw University and the University of Arizona and worked as a freelance writer before...
's book The Bean TreesThe Bean TreesThe Bean Trees, first published in 1988, is the first book written by Barbara Kingsolver, followed by a sequel Pigs in Heaven. The protagonist of the novel, Taylor Greer, a native of Kentucky, finds herself in Oklahoma near Cherokee territory. The novel begins with a woman leaving an American...
. Taylor, Turtle, Lou Ann and Dwayne Ray witness the blooming of the cereus flower at their neighbour's house (Edna Poppy and Virgie Mae Parsons) towards the end of the novel (chapter 13). - The nightblooming cereus was also featured in Jacqueline CareyJacqueline CareyJacqueline Carey is an author and novelist, primarily of fantasy fiction.-Life:She attended Lake Forest College, receiving B.A.'s in psychology and English literature. During college, she spent 6 months working in a bookstore in London as part of a work exchange program. While there, she decided...
's Kushiel's LegacyKushiel's LegacyKushiel's Legacy is a series of fantasy novels by Jacqueline Carey, comprising the Phèdre Trilogy and the Imriel Trilogy...
book series as the name of one of the Thirteen Houses of the Court of Night-Blooming Flowers. - The flower is mentioned in Out of the DustOut of the DustOut of the Dust is a verse novel written by Karen Hesse. It was the winner of the Newbery Medal in 1998, Scott O'Dell Award, an ALA Notable Children's Book, an ALA "Best book", a School Library Journal "best book of the year", a Booklist "Editors' Choice" award, a Book Links "Lasting Connection", a...
by Karen HesseKaren HesseKaren Hesse is an American author of children's literature and literature for young adults, often with historical settings.-Life:...
, a Newbery MedalNewbery MedalThe John Newbery Medal is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association . The award is given to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. The award has been given since 1922. ...
award winning novel. - The book Love, StargirlLove, StargirlLove, Stargirl is a 2007 young adult novel by Jerry Spinelli.This book is the sequel to the New York Times bestselling book, Stargirl and centers on "the world's longest letter" in diary form...
by Jerry SpinelliJerry SpinelliJerry Spinelli is an author of children's novels on adolescence and early adulthood. He is best known for the novels Maniac Magee and Wringer....
mentions the nightblooming cereus several times. - In the popular anime series Wolf's RainWolf's Rainis an anime series created by writer and story editor Keiko Nobumoto and produced by Bones Studio. The series was directed by Tensai Okamura and featured character designs by Toshihiro Kawamoto with a soundtrack produced and arranged by Yoko Kanno. It focuses on the journey of four lone wolves...
, they are referenced as "the lunar flowers", and would lead the wolves' way to paradise. - In Bride of the Water GodBride of the Water GodBride of the Water God is a manhwa by Yun Mi-kyung.-Story Summary:Soah is a girl from a small village suffering from a long, devastating drought. In order to appease the Water God, the most beautiful girl from the village must be sacrificed...
by Yun Mi-kyungYun Mi-kyungYun Mi-kyung is a South Korean manhwa artist best known her work Bride of the Water God.- Career :Yun received the silver medal in the New Artist Debut Competition for her work Na-eu Ji-gu Bang-moon-gi in 2003.She received a Best New Artist award from the Dokja Manwha prize organization for...
, the nightblooming cereus is referred to as the "Loneliness of the Night" and refers most specifically to Epiphyllum oxypetalumEpiphyllum oxypetalumEpiphyllum oxypetalum is a species of cactus and one of the most cultivated species in the genus. It is a variety of nightblooming Cereus and often confused with species of Selenicereus.-Synonymy:*Cereus oxypetalus Moc. & Sesse ex de Candolle Prodr...
. The flowers are described as being paired, so if one flower is plucked, another flower will die somewhere else. Therefore, they are also given the nickname "short-lived love." - Shani MootooShani MootooShani Mootoo is a writer who was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1958 to Trinidadian parents. She was raised in Trinidad, where she initially began to explore the artistic and literary world. She began writing and creating visual that drew on her ideas regarding sexual relations between members of the...
's novel refers to the flower in the title: Cereus Blooms at Night. - The opening chapter of The Elusive Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy GilmanDorothy GilmanDorothy Gilman born June 25, 1923 is a United States author of mystery and spy fiction. She is most well known for the Mrs...
mentions the flower. - The Night-Blooming Cereus is the title of a poem as well as a volume of poetry by Robert HaydenRobert HaydenRobert Hayden was an American poet, essayist, educator. He was appointed Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1976.-Biography:...
. - In the Dennis the Menace (1959 TV series) episode Dennis and the Camera Mr. Wilson (Joseph KearnsJoseph KearnsJoseph Sherrard Kearns was an American actor, who is best remembered for his role as George Wilson in the CBS television series Dennis the Menace from 1959 until his death in 1962.-Biography:...
) attempts to catch a photograph of a nightblooming cereus to earn free publicity for his garden club in the local paper. - Also mentioned in an episode of Aquarion.