Only older plants bloom
It takes some time for a queen of the night to flower. The plant must be at least five years old before it bears flowers for the first time.
also read
- How is the Queen of the Night properly overwintered?
- Caring for the Queen of the Night (Selenicereus grandiflorus)
- Increase the Queen of the Night by cuttings - is that possible?
The bud
In early summer, the flower buds appear on the older parts of the shoot. Surrounded by a thick coat of hair, they look like tiny cotton balls.
If the cactus is cultivated outdoors, the development depends on the weather conditions. At first, nothing happens in cool temperatures. The first hot days then trigger a development spurt and the buds grow to a size of about ten centimeters.
Recognize the flowering day
From lunchtime it can be seen whether the bud breaks open that night. Then it swells up considerably, the petals begin to separate from one another as darkness falls and within a few hours they unfold into a magnificent flower.
Structure of the flowers
With a diameter of up to 30 centimeters, the funnel-shaped and radial-shaped flowers of the Queen of the Night are unusually large. Most of the time, they smell very pleasant for our noses. The hull leaves are red to brownish in color, the inner ones stand out from them in a very attractive white to light yellow. The stamens are grouped around a long, thick stylus.
Why does the Queen of the Night only bloom in the dark
Many bat species in the tropics are not carnivores like our native bats, but instead feed on nectar and pollen. Flowers like the Queen of the Night, which are pollinated by these animals, therefore only bloom during the night.
Tips
In order for this cactus to develop well and not break the long tendrils due to the burden of buds and flowers, it needs a climbing aid in addition to good care. This does not have to be a frame made of plastic or bamboo, you can also simply place the queen next to another houseplant, which gives the long tendrils the necessary support.
