xTexAnne
Budding Queen
When I moved here about a year ago I found my first Queen of The Night cactus on the property the day before it bloomed. Since then I have found 10 Queens. Last week I had approximately 17 blooms. Several of the Queens did not bloom and one plant had 6 flowers. One Queen bloomed prematurely several weeks ago with 3 flowers. I had one plant that bloomed a day later than the others. To my surprise, the last two plants I found was on the first bloom night. One of them had 3 buds and the other was hiding in the same creosote bush without any sign of buds.
________________
Queen of the Night (peniocereus greggii) is a fascinating plant with fragrant and spectacular nocturnal blooms. The night blooming cereus is a member of the cactus family that resembles nothing more than a dead 1/2 inch diameter dull green-grey stem most of the year. Its height can be from 1 foot to 8 feet high. It is rarely seen in the wild because it is inconspicuousness as it dwells in the shade of creosote shrub, palo verde or mesquite tree. The shelter plant not only conceals the cactus but it increases the water availability in the summer and protects it from the winter frost. The shelter plant also provides a place for the branches to rest upon as it continues to grow.
When the summer heat begins, small flower buds begin to appear on the stem of the cactus. For many weeks the buds start and stop growth as they develop. The exact night the flowers will bloom is uncertain and unpredictable. One night each year the magic happens. Simultaneously at sunset, all of the buds begin to open in masses on the same night. The cactus cannot self-pollinate, the plants must bloom on the same evening to ensure pollination, usually by hawk moths. The more blooms that are open, the greater the chance of pollination. Experts have been studying the Queens for many years. Best guess is that there is some type of chemical communication among cactus to trigger the blooms to open.
As morning light approaches, the flowers start to wilt. Within a few hours of sunrise the flowers close never to open again.
Budding Queen
When I moved here about a year ago I found my first Queen of The Night cactus on the property the day before it bloomed. Since then I have found 10 Queens. Last week I had approximately 17 blooms. Several of the Queens did not bloom and one plant had 6 flowers. One Queen bloomed prematurely several weeks ago with 3 flowers. I had one plant that bloomed a day later than the others. To my surprise, the last two plants I found was on the first bloom night. One of them had 3 buds and the other was hiding in the same creosote bush without any sign of buds.
________________
Queen of the Night (peniocereus greggii) is a fascinating plant with fragrant and spectacular nocturnal blooms. The night blooming cereus is a member of the cactus family that resembles nothing more than a dead 1/2 inch diameter dull green-grey stem most of the year. Its height can be from 1 foot to 8 feet high. It is rarely seen in the wild because it is inconspicuousness as it dwells in the shade of creosote shrub, palo verde or mesquite tree. The shelter plant not only conceals the cactus but it increases the water availability in the summer and protects it from the winter frost. The shelter plant also provides a place for the branches to rest upon as it continues to grow.
When the summer heat begins, small flower buds begin to appear on the stem of the cactus. For many weeks the buds start and stop growth as they develop. The exact night the flowers will bloom is uncertain and unpredictable. One night each year the magic happens. Simultaneously at sunset, all of the buds begin to open in masses on the same night. The cactus cannot self-pollinate, the plants must bloom on the same evening to ensure pollination, usually by hawk moths. The more blooms that are open, the greater the chance of pollination. Experts have been studying the Queens for many years. Best guess is that there is some type of chemical communication among cactus to trigger the blooms to open.
As morning light approaches, the flowers start to wilt. Within a few hours of sunrise the flowers close never to open again.