The Moonlight Genus

Selenicereus is a plant genus of cacti (Cactaceae). Their botanical name is Selene, the moon goddess in Greek mythology, derived and takes up the night in the open flowers cover.

Several species of the genus are known for their large, open flowers at night, "Queen of the Night". Often it Selenicereus grandiflorus common.

Description

Selenicereen are genera, stem succulents shrubs. They grow and climb terrestrial vegetation monitoring and / or grow klimmend or suspended in part or in whole epiphytic.

The mostly 1 to 2.5 cm thick and several meters long have rung up to ten usually only slightly elevated ribs. Sometimes the shoots are geringkantig however, strongly winged leaf-shaped and flattened to Platykladien.

These are then entire margins and are climbing close to the host plant pressed (Selenicereus Testudo) or are deep into a structure wedelartigen incised (Selenicereus chrysocardium).

Often form the rungs aerial roots that convert into real contact with the ground at the roots and grow plants as vegetative. The standing areoles on the ribs, only a few short and needle-thorns, and sometimes short-lived hair.

The individual flowers appear from the areoles are specialized in a pollination by bats. They open at night, often for only a few hours a night, sometimes a few nights in a row.

With up to 30 cm in length and diameter, they are very large and mostly pleasant fragrant, rare odorless. Ovary and flower tubes species is close and sometimes hairy. The outer bracts are reddish to brownish, the inner ones are white to pale yellow.

The numerous stamens are in two groups, the style is long, thick and often hollow. The resulting after fertilization of a large fruit is usually red, rarely yellow, and contain many seeds in a juicy pulp.


http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selenicereus

See Also: International Flower Delivery, Florist