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Epiphyllum oxypetalum
Also called Moonflower Cactus, Night Blooming Cereus, Queen Of The Night
In Singapore: Lady of the Night, Queen of the Night, Night blooming Cereus, Dutchman's-Pipe Cactus, Keng Hwa, 昙花, 琼花 (Cultivated in Singapore)
A fast-growing, night-blooming epiphytic cactus with flat, leafy stems whose huge white, fragrant flowers open at night and wilt by dawn. Give it bright indirect light, let the potting mix dry between waterings, and keep it in a warm, sheltered spot.
Epiphyllum oxypetalum, the Dutchman's pipe cactus, princess of the night or queen of the night, is a species of cactus with a native range from Mexico to Nicaragua. It blooms nocturnally, and its flowers wilt before dawn. Though it is sometimes referred to as a night-blooming cereus, it is not closely related to any of the species in the tribe Cereeae that are more commonly known by that name. All Cereus species bloom at night and are terrestrial plants; Epiphyllum species are usually epiphytic.
Epiphyllum oxypetalum is an easily cultivated, fast growing Epiphyllum. It flowers in late spring through late summer; large specimens can produce several crops of flowers in one season. This is a widely cultivated Epiphyllum species.
It is known to have medicinal properties in many Asian cultures, including India, Vietnam, and Malaysia. The plant is widely used in traditional medicine to treat respiratory ailments, bleeding conditions, and is also believed to have the property of reducing pain and inflammation.
Epiphyllum oxypetalum is native to Southern Mexico and to extensive areas of South America. It is widely cultivated, with many escapes from cultivation in tropical areas, especially in southeast Asia. It has become naturalised in China.
Epiphyllum baueri · Epiphyllum cartagense · Epiphyllum grandilobum · Dutchman's Pipe Cactus · Epiphyllum thomasianum · Climbing cactus
[Contains information from Leaf Area Index (LAI) and Heritage Trees from data.gov.sg (National Parks Board), made available under the terms of the Singapore Open Data Licence version 1.0]
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Epiphyllum oxypetalum by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
