Hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday weekend. I got 2 epiphyllums in bloom just in time for Independence day!
Epiphyllum are also known as Orchid cactus, night blooming Cereus, Queen of the Night and Dutchman’s Pipe Cactus.
The word epiphyllum is derived from a Greek word meaning “upon the leaf”. The real Jungle cactus have no leaves but are just stems and branches that look like leaf.
Mom’s epiphyllum have been blooming all summer. This one is much more fleeting. It blooms for a day and sometimes just half the day. It’s just a matter of when I get to snap a photo of it. Lucky me, it was blooming on Labor Day.
They are epiphyllums but also known as Orchid cactus, night blooming Cereus, Queen of the Night and Dutchman’s Pipe Cactus.
It gets full sunlight most of the day. But there is a large tree that provides some shade later in the day.
The epiphyllum tend to fall over if you don’t tie them to a stake. As the leaves are long and narrow. The smaller variety would probably be nice grown as a hanging plant.
Click on photo for larger view of the blooming orchid cactus.
These are the buds from my earlier photo taken back in the end of May.
This variety has tiny little prickly spikes. It grows along the edges and is almost invisible. So be careful when handling them !
My favorite version is the large pink variety that bloom for days. They should call these “Joy” flowers since that’s pretty much how I feel when I see them blooming.
A while back I found only one blooming epiphyllum, and now it looks like there will be more on it’s way. So I just had to take a few photos of these pretty little buds.
Epiphyllum are actually hybrids of epiphytic cacti species (jungle cactus) native to jungles of Mexico, Central and South America. The word epiphyllum is derived from a Greek word meaning “upon the leaf”. The real Jungle cactus have no leaves but are just stems and branches that look like leaf.
It’s very difficult to see, but there are little prickly spines growing upon these leaves. They look almost invisible, so be careful when handling them. They are still not as bad as regular desert cactus that are totally covered with spines.
This ephiphyllum was found blooming at my mom’s garden. And right on Mother’s Day too. So it was a real nice surprise.
The plant is also known as Orchid cactus, night blooming Cereus, Queen of the Night and Dutchman’s Pipe Cactus. I like to think of it as an Orchid Cactus because it’s more of a succulent.
The flowers usually bloom in the summer or autumn. I actually got a cutting years ago from a friend’s garden and planted them in my mom’s garden. We didn’t know what color or type of bloom would show up. And the friend has since moved to Seattle for a few years now. But I am happy to see it’s a bright pink bloom instead of the usual white variety.
Here is the side view. The difference between the pink variety and the white one, is that the pink ones have a very light floral scent. Which is good for someone who is not fond of any strong perfume scent.
The only sad thing about this flower is that it blooms only for one night and dies the next day. Then again, maybe that makes it that much alluring.
Here is a photo of my dream hanging basket full of blooming Orchid Cactus. This may actually be a good way to grow them too.
Update: I picked the flower and put in a vase, it’s still blooming now. That is day 2. Let’s see if it will bloom for the rest of the week! So I was wrong, as this variety blooms much longer then the white variety. 
My mom has a cutting of this desert orchid for almost two years now. They are also refer to as night blooming Cereus, Queen of the Night, Dutchman’s Pipe Cactus and epiphyllum.
Now it has finally bloomed and I am lucky enough to been able to witness it. For those not familiar with these flowers, they only bloom for one night. This bloom has a very light fragrance which I prefer over the larger blooms. It seem that the other variety with larger leaves and flower smell so strong. It would give me headaches just being around it.
The Queen of the Night blossom remind me so much of the Dragon Fruit in bloom. I don’t doubt they are related. But the Queen of the Night doesn’t bear any fruit. It only blooms for the night and shrivels up by the next day. And the Dragon fruit’s bloom is much more substantial looking.
Epiphyllum blossom come in various colors, from deep pink to white. So far I’ve only seen the white ones. At one time I even considered joining the local Epi Society ($12 annual membership). The membership comes with a free cutting. And at their meetings, you can meet people who are more than willing to give you growing tips and possibly cuttings too. I think that would be worth it (if only I had a larger area to grow them). But right now, one potted white version is fine.
Here is one bloom that shrivel up and had it’s chance to bloom. And there is two more that will be blooming tonight. My mom gave me a cutting that is about 1 year old, but there are no blooms yet. My pot and plant is much smaller. And I put in in partial shade most of the day. my mom grows her collection of various plants and flowers in direct sunlight and so far things are doing well. More photos: Dave’s Garden - many pictures of the night blooming Epi.
