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Selenicereus grandiflorus
Also called Night Blooming Cereus
A climbing, epiphytic cactus from Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, grown for its huge, fragrant flowers that open for a single night. It takes two to three years to bloom, and it needs bright light and a winter rest.
Selenicereus grandiflorus is a cactus species originating from the Antilles, Mexico and Central America. The species is commonly referred to as queen of the night, night-blooming cereus (though these two terms are also used for other species), large-flowered cactus, sweet-scented cactus or vanilla cactus. The true species is extremely rare in cultivation. Most of the plants under this name belong to other species or hybrids. It is often confused with the genus Epiphyllum.
S. grandiflorus is a fast-growing epiphytic and lithophytic plant, though it takes two to three years to begin producing blooms. Keep it on the dry side each winter, and move it outdoors under a shade tree in late spring. It needs compost containing plenty of humus and sufficient moisture in summer. It should not be kept under 5 °C (41 °F) in winter and performs best if grown in full sun. Extra light in the early spring will stimulate budding. Flowers in late spring or early summer, only blooms one night a year for several years and withers within hours.
Nightblooming cactus · Fishbone Cactus · Selenicereus costaricensis · Selenicereus hamatus · Selenicereus megalanthus · Selenicereus setaceus · Vine-like moonlight cactus · Nightblooming Cactus · Moonlight cactus
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Selenicereus grandiflorus 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.
