Night Blooming Epiphyllum

Night Blooming Orchid Cactus [Epiphyllum]

Another one of our Orchid Cacti started it's show this evening. From what I read this is more what they are like in the wild. This beautiful blossom opened up as the sun was going down. The flower has a great fragrance and it is about twice the size of the flowers on our big day-blooming Epiphyllum. It is at least 6" from tip to tip of the outside petals, with the cup of petals in the middle being over 4".

Most of the wild Epiphyllum blossoms last only one night and fade by morning so I wanted to get a shot of this right away. This is the first time this guy is blooming since we got him, so I don't know exactly what to expect. But, If I can get him in full sunlight I will try to get a nice shot with some reference to the size.

So, blooms at night, Has a blossom the size of a salad plate that is white and fragrant that you could see even if you were flying around half blind. Can you tell what they are trying to attract?

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Feedback for Night Blooming Epiphyllum:

Theresa	December 17, 2006 10:54 am
Epiphyllum
I used to have a couple of these plants and now am trying to find locations where I may purchase them. Do you have any locations in So. Cal that you know of that I can purchase these beauties? Thank you so much. Theresa

Bill Heller	December 17, 2006 5:24 pm
Where to get Orchid Cacti
Hi Theresa! Most of our Epiphyllum have been gifts or barely rooted cuttings from the local farmers market in Santa Barbara. But there are some very cool groups online and in different cities. They share cuttings and have links to nurseries that sell them... Epiphyllum Society of America (E.S.A.) Epiphyllum Society of San Diego San Francisco Epiphyllum Society c/o SF County Fair Building 9th Avenue & Lincoln Way San Francisco, CA 94122 650.873.4443 Danish Epiphyllum Society They actually have a list of Epiphyllum online for sale here. (right after I get done with this post I'm going to order the bottom one!) http://www.epiforums.com/ An online discussion board about Epiphyllum that I just registered on. Pernell Gerver's Online Store of Rare, Hard-to-find, and Useful Plants & Gardening Products Pernell has a night bloomer very similar to this one for sale Hope that helps! -Bill Heller

CUQUI	January 17, 2007 9:01 pm
never bloomed
I GOT MY EPIPHYLLUM FROM MY FATHER IN LAW IN 1974 AND IT HAS NEVER BLOOMED. I GET LEAVES BUT, THAT'S ALL. WHAT CAN I DO? MY LEAVES HAVE STARTED GETTING SPINDLY.

Bill Heller	January 17, 2007 10:24 pm
RE: never bloomed
If it were not for the spindly pads I would say it is probably a healthy plant. Like many plants, they seem to bloom when they feel threatened. "Oh no! Gotta bloom! Gotta preserve the species!" Of course you can gently threaten them with the right fertilizer (0-10-10 or 2-10-10) in the late spring. :-D But I would try to get the pads back to a healthy state first. We have about six Epiphyllum outside. And two "starts" inside. The only one that got really spindly was one that lived inside for a long time but it is outside now and recovering nicely. When you are trying to take care of them don't think cactus, think orchid. After all, in the wild they live in the jungle canopy like an orchid. Ours seem to love water, rich soil and a fairly shady environment. Under our umbrella outside is a good place, good sun in the morning and evening, but shade in the hot part of the day. If the pads turn red or even yellow, it is probably getting too much sun. Although we do have a HUGE well established plant in full sun. (I think the key for that is "well established") Where do you have the plant? Inside / outside? Sun / Shade? When you are ready to try it, my wife found a cool page with more information on coaxing blooms out of them... http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/2443 Hope this helps! -Bill Heller

CUQUI	January 20, 2007 11:24 am
NEVER BLOOMED
THANKS BILL FOR YOUR ADVICE. I WILL CERTAINLY USE YOUR SUGGESTIONS. MY IN LAWS LIVED IN PANAMA AND MY HUSBAND AND I WENT THERE IN 1974 FOR A VISIT. MY FATHER IN LAW GAVE ME 2 LEAVES TO BRING BACK WITH ME. BOTH OF MY IN LAWS HAVE PASSED AWAY AFTER COMING TO AMERICA. OVER THE YEARS I HAVE SHARED LEAVES WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY MEMBERS. MY PLANT IS INSIDE ON A STAND NEAR A WINDOW. I LIVE IN FLORIDA. SHOULD I CUT SOME OF THE NORMAL SIZED LEAVES OFF AND START SOME NEW PLANTS?

BARBARA hALL	April 30, 2007 8:33 am
white night bloomer
I have one that I started from cuttings last year. It did very well, even had one bloom in September. The problem is that we put it in the green house for the winter and I think it was too moist as the paddles turned yellow and had some mold on them when we took it out. I now have it hanging on the patio but no new groth. I did cut off a paddle and put it in water to see if it will grow. Any suggestions? Where can I find one? Thanks

Toni Davis	October 21, 2007 4:28 pm
night blooming orchid cactus (epiphyllum)
Bill: My cutting came from Canada. My cousin smuggled her cutting into Canada from South America some years ago, and when I saw hers, I just had to try to grow it since it is tropical. The Canadian plant grows nicely potted inside year round in a sunny window but has never bloomed. My plant lives on my screened patio mostly shade, and although it seems very happy, I can tell that it wants more sun as it leans out from under the overhang. We water it weekly and fertilize monthly. If a freeze is forcast, we just throw a cover over it for the night; no problem so far. The thing has grown shoots as long as 12 feet before leafing--so strange. It blooms several times a year. It just bloomed the first week in October and had more than 40 blossoms on the first night! The presentation was so spectacular and I had to take photos. I am sending copies to my cousin so she can appreciate what the plant can do when it wants to. I am e-mailing a copy of one on the photos for you to enjoy.

Bill Heller	October 21, 2007 6:59 pm
RE: night blooming orchid cactus (epiphyllum)
Hi Toni, I'd love to see the photos! I have seen the long shoots when I had some of my epis inside. I can only assume the plant is trying to get the pads above the forest canopy to get to the sunlight. None of my outside epis have ever sent out the shoots, even the ones in the relative shade. Now all my epis are outside, they're much happier. We get frost here once in a while, but this is mild southern California frost and they never even notice. Sounds like yours is doing wonderful! But, if you think it's craving more light, if it sends out more shoots, you could probably get a full spectrum plant bulb for it. It would probably like the heat as well as the light. I would not have thought they would be so hardy so far north, but plants never cease to amaze me with their adaptability. Probably does not hurt that the plants were raised from cuttings. You might not have as much luck if you started with a full grown plant that was used to warmer climates. Fortunately, epis are usually sold or traded as cuttings! :-D -Bill

mary	February 18, 2008 3:04 am
white epiphyllum
i recently had my first epiphyllum bloom in winter of all times. i have it marked as an unknown flower as i have no clue what it is. Is there a way to send a photo to help me identify it?

Bill Heller	February 18, 2008 12:20 pm
RE: white epiphyllum
Hi Mary, For now you can send the picture to my email address. I don't put it on the site so I don't get overwhelmed with spam, but I sent you an email. I'm working on a way to upload images directly to the site, but that may take a bit until I can give it the attention it deserves. -Bill

Mikhail	March 12, 2008 8:14 pm

I have a deeply looped rick rack leave epie night bloomer Are there white ones that look like this?Or do they come in different colors.Its a very dark green color and looks like a basket grower.Thanks for your help!

sherry	June 16, 2008 6:32 pm
epi shoots
Hi Bill, great website! I have a question about my epi. I've had it for a year, it's grown like gangbusters and I haven't changed a thing. It's in the same window basket hanging from the same hook as always. The new growth stems are all from long shoots. Some are from soil level and some are from older stems and they are branching off of each other as well. There are many of them so it seems to be growing well. I can't determine if I have a problem or if this is just the way they grow and I was too dense to notice it before I took a couple of older stem cuttings. Any thoughts? Thanks!!

Bill Heller	June 16, 2008 6:53 pm
RE: epi shoots
Hi Sherry, Thanks! I really love my plants and my camera, so the site makes a good combination. Probably no great surprise that my main commercial photography clients are restaurants since I love good food too. :-D It sounds like your epi may be looking for more light. When I had one of mine inside for a couple of years it started sending out long round shoots about 1/8 to 1/4 inch in diameter. It went almost six feet in all directions, but never really grew any new full pads. I finally realized it was looking for better conditions and put it outside. Most of our big epis are hanging, but because of the really long spindly growth I put that one on a big fan shaped trellis and it seems to really like that. It is still in a shady area, but it gets lots of filtered afternoon light and lots of water (with good drainage). It is growing nice new thick pads from everywhere including from some of the smaller runners. Hope that helps! -Bill

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Night Blooming Orchid Cactus [Epiphyllum]