The Zimbabwean Gardener Issue 6 Spring 2013 | Page 24

Weird & wonderful Tropical Cactus Night Queens Queen of the Night She’s an insignificant flower. She’s in love with the man on the moon. She’s a gentle whisper that floats through the sleepy room. If you saw her in the sun – you wouldn’t think twice. If you saw her at night – you‘d think her quite nice. BY SHELLEY RICHMOND TO ENVELOP YOUR SENSES IN THE FRAGRANCE OF THESE NIGHT QUEENS IS LIKE A TRIP INTO A MOONLIT EDEN WHERE EVERYTHING FEELS TANTALISING AND SEDUCTIVE. LET’S EXPLORE THE BEAUTY THAT HAPPENS WHILE YOU DREAM OF NEVER-NEVER LAND. These first four night queens are all tropical cactus species. They all flower at night. Each bloom lasts a night and is dead by dawn. They all emit heady, exotic fragrances and have exquisite, large, and mainly white flowers. If you love to entertain outdoors at night, then plant one of these nearby. The flowering of any of these showy plants becomes a much talked about event in itself. Selenicereus QUEEN OF THE NIGHT Selenicereus pteranthus Selenicereus grandiflorus Selenicereus hamatus Hylocereus PRINCESS OF THE NIGHT HONOLULU QUEEN NIGHT BLOOMING CEREUS 24 Also known as Moonlight Cacti, these spectacular epiphytic cacti are named after the Greek moon goddess Selene. The beautiful blooms can be up to 30cm long and have rows of pure white petals. The petals are surrounded by long cream to red sepals that hang like a ring of humungous lashes. The fleshy elongated stems snake up trees and make a great feature. The scent is indeed the fragrance of the moon goddess. If that hasn’t triggered your desires to have this amazing plant in a special spot in your garden, there is more: the Selenicereus species also produce edible fruits known as Pitaya. The fruit is orange or yellow skinned with white flesh, dotted with little black seeds, reminiscent of prickly pears. There are about 20 different species It is indeed the gorgeous blooms of this untidy sprawling plant that has earned it the royal titles of Princess of the Night and Honolulu Queen. Its’ 23cm flowers are creamy white with cream to green ‘eyelashes’ or sepals. It has fleshy elongated stems, which are triangular and ribbed. This plant is full of surprises and can satisfy your taste buds as well as your sense of smell for it is also known as Pitaya, or Dragon fruit. This is the most known and marketed Pitaya, unlike the above varieties which are pretty uncommon. The fruit is both delicious and beautiful. It has red skin with horns and white flesh speckled with tiny black seeds. Best eaten chilled! of Selenicereus, and now commercial hybrids of this and the below Hylocereus.