The lady of the night. A wonderful bloom to admire for just one night (Eng/Esp).
Hello, friends of this community who love plants and gardens
This time, I want to tell you about this plant that I am showing you, a cactus of the Epiphyllum genus with green, flattened and thornless stems. It was given to me with just two branches. I planted it and placed it on the balcony because I know it needs direct light. It has been a year now, and it has developed very well.
The only problem I've seen are scale insects, sucking insects that feed on them. Although there weren't many, they need to be removed so they don't affect the plant. They are thick, hard scales and don't have the sticky coating of other more aggressive types of scale insects.
Two weeks ago, my plant gave me great joy when I began to notice the development of a bud. I had been waiting for this to happen because this plant, which we call Lady of the Night, only blooms for one night and then closes, never to open again. It is only during that night that it is possible to admire its flower in all its splendor.
So it was a big surprise to see the bud forming. I had to travel for a few days, and when I returned, the flower had not yet opened. But you could already see the petals just emerging. We took the opportunity to photograph it.
I told my daughter, “The flower is going to open tonight, so I have to keep an eye on it because if I wait until morning, I won't see it.” My daughter said, “You're not going to stay up tonight waiting for your flower.” And that's what happened.
Only one day separates each photograph. The reddish-brown sepals then separate and the petals of the flower's corolla open.
I stayed up until midnight and it opened its petals. What a beautiful sight. I took advantage of the opportunity to take some photos. It was a little difficult because the stem of the flower hangs down, so I had to take the pot off the balcony and place it on a stool.
This flower has many petals and numerous stamens. It is not fragrant like other species of night-blooming cereus belonging to other plant families.
Looking for similarities between this flower and other species of Epiphyllum, it most closely resembles Epiphyllum thomasianum.
On the second night, the flower did not reopen. It has already withered away.
I am waiting to see if other flowers or fruit develop. I hope so, so I can continue to enjoy this spectacle of nature.
Hola amigos de esta comunidad amantes de las plantas y jardines.
En esta oportunidad les quiero contar sobre esta planta que les muestro, una cactacea del género Epiphyllum de tallos verdes, aplanados y sin espinas. Me la regalaron con apenas dos ramas. Yo la sembre y la coloqué en el balcón porque se que necesita luz directa. Ya hace un año y se ha desarrollado muy bién.
El unico problema que le he visto son las escamas, insectos chupadores que se alimentan de ellas. Aunque no eran muchas, hay que quitarselas para que no la afecten. Son unas escamas gruesas y duras y no tienen esa capa pegajosa de otros tipos de escama mas agresivas.
Hace dos semanas mi planta me dio una gran alegría cuando empece a observar el desarrollo de una yema o botón floral. Había estado esperando que sucediera porque esta planta a la que llamamos Dama de noche solo florece en una noche y luego se cierra para no abrir mas. Es solo durante esa noche, que es posible admirar su flor en todo su explendor .
Asi que fue una gran sorpresa ver el botón formado. Tuve que viajar por unos días y al regresar la flor todavía no había abierto. Pero ya se observaban los pétalos apenas emergiendo. Allí aprovechamos de fotografiarla.
Solo hay un día de diferencia entre cada fotografía. Los sépalos de color marrón rojizo se separan para permitir que los pétalos de la corola se abran.
Le dije a mi hija, la flor va a abrir esta noche así que tengo que estar pendiente porque si espero hasta la mañana no la voy a ver. Mi hija me dijo No iras a dormir hoy esperando tu flor. Y asi sucedio.
Me quedé despierta hasta las doce de la noche y estaba abierta. Qué espectáculo tan hermoso. Aproveche de tomarle las fotografías. Eso me costo un poco porque el tallito de la flor cuelga y tuve que sacar la maceta del balcón y colocarlo en un banquito.
Esta flor tiene muchos pétalos y los estambres también son númerosos. No es fragante como lo son otras especies de Dama de noche pertenecientes a otras familias de plantas.
Buscando la semejanza de la flor con otras especies de Ephiphyllum, el parecido es mayor con Epiphyllum thomasianum.
A la segunda noche la flor no volvió a abrir. Se matchitó. Pero estoy esperando si se desarrollan otras flores o un fruto. Espero que si, para seguir disfrutando de este espectáculo de la naturaleza.
All photographs are my own, taken with a Samsung A15 phone.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
Referencia consultada
Wow. That's so beautiful to witness. Worth it to wait. 😍
Thank you very much @mayt.
That's right, it was a pleasure.
Best regards and blessings 😘
Ahh it looks like my mum's midnight flowers! Probably similar or same type ^_^; They really do look very impressive don't they :D
It's probably a species similar to your mother's plant. They're very beautiful, and how wonderful that you got to see them bloom.
Hugs @ryivhnn and thank you very much for your comment 😘
It is a plant and flower that have a lot to say. Sometimes the most intense and beautiful things in life are short-lived, and I think that is the message. It is a beautiful flower that, with patience and waiting, can be seen on that glorious night. It is very beautiful, and I am glad you brought it and were able to take pictures of it.
For those insects, I suggest melting neutral soap in water, putting it in a spray bottle, and spraying it regularly until you see that the white stuff is gone. It's a common problem that affects this type of plant and its family, and I use it as a natural remedy. Thank you very much, and hugs!🤗
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Thank you @avdesing for that beautiful message. Nature teaches us life lessons in many ways. It was a pleasure to share this wonder.
Thank you very much for the method to control the scales. I will use it to protect this plant and others that also have them.
Hugs and blessings 😘
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Thank you so so much!!🤗
Muchas gracias por el apoyo @ewkaw y @qurator.
Saludos 😘