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Cactaceae
Queen of the Night
Epiphyllum oxypetalum
Fleeting beauty, the precious moment, transient love.
- Family
- Cactaceae
- Genus
- Epiphyllum
- Native to
- Mexico, Central America
- Bloom season
- Summer (One Night Only)
- Type
- epiphytic cactus
- Height
- 1–3 m sprawling
- Sunlight
- Bright indirect light
- Soil
- Loose, well-drained, orchid mix
- Water
- Moderate; allow to dry between
- Hardiness
- 10–11
- Lifespan
- Perennial
Did you know
- Queen of the night blooms once a year and only at night — each flower opens at dusk, peaks around midnight, and wilts by dawn, never to reopen.
- The blooms can reach 30 cm across and emit an intoxicating sweet fragrance to attract their nocturnal moth and bat pollinators.
- In Sri Lanka, Indian, and Chinese cultures, witnessing the bloom is considered exceptionally lucky — events are sometimes held to watch it open in real time.
- The flowers are often called 'Dutchman's pipe cactus' or 'Brahma kamalam' in different cultural traditions.
- It's an epiphyte — in the wild it grows on tree trunks rather than in soil, drawing moisture from rain and air.