A Beauty Under Moonlight
The Night Blooming Cereus (Epiphyllum oxypetalum) is one of the most cultivated species of cactus in the genus, with magnificent perfumed flowers that only open after dark and with each flower only lasting the one night. In China the plant’s name means “a beauty under moonlights.” That is to say that culturally the flower is revered as a treasure and is treated as such.
The above photograph was taken by Robert Fovell, a professor in the Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences Department at UCLA.
Links: Night Blooming Cereus–Robert Fovell
