Queen Of The Night

The flower Epiphyllum Oxypetalum flowers only once a year at night, taking approximately 2 hours to fully open, then wilting before the sun comes up.

The flower has an outer mane of petals, with lotus-like nest of petals in front, and a brush of stamins in the centre defined by the bright white filaments and butter yellow anthers at their tips. The flower can be up to 25cm (about 9 inches) across when in full bloom.

​The fragrant scent of this flower can travel quite far in the night, up to half a kilometre away. The scent could be described as a delicate floral perfume with a hint of sweetness like that of the mango fruit. 

This video is of the flowering at Paul & Roz's home on the 7th March 2022. It was taken with a mobile phone on a tripod using a time-lapse setting of 30 second intervals, and then increased in speed when producing the video.

Why not try grow these yourself? They can be easily propogated from cuttings and they grow well in a small pot with little fertiliser or water needed. The majesty of this flower and the smell of its perfume is worth waiting a year for!

Enjoy!