Looks like the Night Blooming Cereus at Tohono Chul Park are going to bloom this week. They predict on the 15th or 16th. it's $5. from 6pm-midnight. I've never made it to one, so I'm determined this year. Anyone else planning on going? I'm on an email list that notifies me which night they are blooming- they only bloom one night a year! I'll post back here when I find out what night it will be.
From Wikipedia:
Night-blooming cereus, also called Queen of the night or Reina de la noche, are names of several genera and species of nightblooming cactus. The night blooming cereus is also known as the lunar flower, moon flower and luna flower. This plant is native to the Sonoran Desert in North America. The plant grows as a thin, almost dead looking stick from a single stem in the ground. They bloom just on one or two nights of the year, typically around May 30. Beneath the ground is a large tuber, often the size of a watermelon, that was eaten by Indians and early settlers because of its nutritious content. Pack rats often eat these blossoms before morning, so catching a glimpse of them can be fleeting. They often stay open until the early morning hours, but then close up for another year.
Our cereus has always been in the shade of mesquite trees near the trunk. One was close to 50 years old and we never water them, except when we're doing starters.
^^^^^ ;) yep good ol caliche. The cereus has to be God's ugliest little non descript cacti out there. Which is why I prolly forget to water them, or that they exist until this time of year.
They smell like a narcotic........so I've been told.
The beauty of the flower is awesome and the scent is unearthly. We have quite a few night blooming cacti, but they have almost no smell compared to the cereus. One morning before sunrise I crammed my schnoz deep into one and could still smell it 4 hours later.....
I met Wendy and Mr. Wendy out to see the blooms, and got to meet Jeff as well. This was my first time out for Bloom Night, and I liked being able to walk around and see the change in the blooms from hour to hour. Sure, there was a large crowd of people (to see certain blooms, we had to stand in line), but that was kind of entertaining in and of itself in a people-watching sort of way. There were also plenty of photographers, some who had elaborate set-ups, and it was funny to see how they would choose a bloom and territorially hover around it. It was a beautiful night for it with a lovely sunset and I got to walk around for hours looking at beautiful fragrant flowers. Can't beat that!
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