Waiting For Night Blooming Cereus

Betty says,

In 1978, a friend gave us a cutting of the stem/leaf of a Night Blooming Cereus. After many years, the stem/leaf developed into a nice plant. Over the years, it would bloom. In 2006, I blogged about it; see http://ncag.blogspot.com/2006/09/night-blooming-cereus.html

The year of 2006 proved to be a year of extreme temperatures. In the summer, it reached a record breaking temperature of 114 degrees in Morgan Hill; then in the winter, it went down to the 20s. Our Cereus plant, unfortunately, got frost bite so bad that only a few stem/leaves that were salvageable. Though we were able to have a live plant, it had not bloomed from 2006 and on.

It was very exciting that three flower bulbs appeared on the plant. I am sharing pictures of this unusual flower."

A little bulb gives the beginning of a flower on the "Night Blooming Cereus".

The little bulb grows into a bigger bulb.

The bulb is loosening up.


Suddenly after dark, here it is, the Night Blooming Cereus is blooming!

A close up shot of the Night Blooming Cereus.

Twelve hours after the bloom, the flower starts to wilt.

An hour or so later, the flower is wilted.

Less than 24 hours after the flower bloomed, it is now totally wilted.

"One flash of a Night Blooming Cereus" is a Chinese saying describing things that appear quickly then disappear quickly.