Cereus, Night Blooming

Night Blooming Cereus is a cactus that is native to Arizona and the Sonora Desert. Admirers grow this cactus variety as a houseplant in all but the hottest regions of the United States. The Cereus cactus is a tall climbing cactus that may approach 10 feet tall. The cactus is three ribbed and has spines along green to yellow stems. The plant is a rather untidy jumble of limbs and requires manicuring to keep it in habit. The plants can actually be trained to a trellis in Arizona and other suitable climates. It will not begin to flower until it is four or five years old and will begin with just a couple of flowers. The incidence of blooms will increase as the plant grows older. The flower is breathtaking at almost 7 inches across and produces a heavenly scent. The bloom will only open at night and a moth is its pollinator. The Cereus flower is a large white flower born off the tops of the stems. It will close and wither in the morning but if it was pollinated the plant produces large juicy red fruit. The flowers usually begin to bloom at 9 or 10 p.m. and are fully open by midnight. The first rays of the sun will see the petals droop and die.