Orchid Power - The Orchid Cactus - A Plant with Pedigree and Pizzazz
Orchid Power
The Orchid Cactus (Epiphyllum oxypetalum) is often erroneously called "Night Blooming Cereus" or "Queen of the Night." It is one of the most bizarre and entrancing plants ever grown.
The Orchid Cactus (Epiphyllum oxypetalum) is often erroneously called "Night Blooming Cereus" or "Queen of the Night." The Orchid Cactus is tropical in appearance, sprawling in nature, with extremely long, fleshy "leaves," which are actually flattened stems, similar in appearance to a giant Christmas cactus.
It can grow from a cutting a few inches long to almost five feet in height and width in just one summer.
During the winter, it survives handsomely with no fertilizer and a simple sip of water once every several weeks, making it an extremely easy plant to cultivate indoors, especially for people who routinely kill other, more sensitive houseplants.
As its name implies, the Orchid Cactus shares a kinship with the spectacular orchids and bromeliads which show off amid the steamy jungles of Central and South America. Like those species, it can be found tucked into mossy, compost-filled nooks and branch angles of trees, sending out aerial roots for support and nutrients.
Its proper botanical name, Epiphyllum, means on- or upon-the-leaf, referring to the plant’s production of flowers along the margins of its flattened stems. And what flowers they are!
The Orchid Cactus (Epiphyllum oxypetalum) is often erroneously called "Night Blooming Cereus" or "Queen of the Night." It is one of the most bizarre and entrancing plants ever grown.
The Orchid Cactus (Epiphyllum oxypetalum) is often erroneously called "Night Blooming Cereus" or "Queen of the Night." The Orchid Cactus is tropical in appearance, sprawling in nature, with extremely long, fleshy "leaves," which are actually flattened stems, similar in appearance to a giant Christmas cactus.
It can grow from a cutting a few inches long to almost five feet in height and width in just one summer.
During the winter, it survives handsomely with no fertilizer and a simple sip of water once every several weeks, making it an extremely easy plant to cultivate indoors, especially for people who routinely kill other, more sensitive houseplants.
As its name implies, the Orchid Cactus shares a kinship with the spectacular orchids and bromeliads which show off amid the steamy jungles of Central and South America. Like those species, it can be found tucked into mossy, compost-filled nooks and branch angles of trees, sending out aerial roots for support and nutrients.
Its proper botanical name, Epiphyllum, means on- or upon-the-leaf, referring to the plant’s production of flowers along the margins of its flattened stems. And what flowers they are!
posted by Ralph Brownly @ 7:24 PM
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