Epiphyllum, Queen of the Night

-Pam Scott-

As an avid collector of all things green and growing, I am always on the lookout for plants that I find endlessly entertaining. Plants that bloom and have interesting growth habits are top on my list of favorites. I find that most epiphytic plants easily fit into the description of “endlessly entertaining”. Epiphytic, as opposed to terrestrial plants, are ones that grow on other plants. Staghorn ferns, some orchids, air plants, some bromeliads, and epiphyllum are all fascinating epiphytes worth getting to know. Many of these plants live in the organic matter that accumulates on the limbs of trees, allowing them to become hosts to a wonderful ecosystem of birds, insects, reptiles and small mammals that trade fertilizer for protection and comfort.

Two plants in the Epiphyllum family that I have been slightly obsessed with of late are Epiphyllum oxypetalum and Epiphyllum anguliger. Of the hundreds of blooming epiphyllums that grow in the wild, these two varieties and their hybrids are the most commonly and successfully cultivated as house plants.

Epiphyllum oxypetalum is commonly known as  Dutchman’s Pipe Cactus, Lady of the Night, Queen of the Night, Orchid Cactus and Night-Blooming Cereus. Kindly allow me a brief rant about the use of common names instead of current botanical names… Epiphyllum oxypetalum is not an orchid, a Dutchman’s pipe or a cereus. It is, however, a shade-loving cactus. This plant shares its common names with many unrelated plants which also happen to be night bloomers with similar looking flowers but totally different culture. Which common names are used often depends on what part of the world you are from, whereas scientific botanical nomenclature is consistent throughout the world. The use of common names instead of botanical names can lead to confusion, heated discussions, and misidentification resulting in the potential to give your plant the incorrect care. Ok… end of rant.

The most spectacular thing about Epiphyllum plants, besides their impressively large sculptural wing span, is the profusion of exotic, fragrant, ephemeral blooms they put out in the middle of the night. These plants will perform their spectacular flowering show from midnight to dawn, leaving behind only dead buds as the sun rises. These varieties have been incorrectly rumored to only bloom once a year. You can imagine my surprise when I found my oxypetalum putting out an impressive display of nocturnal blooms off and on over the period of a month. Other more rare species of epiphyllum and terrestrial cactus sharing similar common names will bloom for only one night a year.

Epiphyllum angularis commonly known as Ric Rac, Zig Zag or fishbone cactus is a plant I love to see silhouetted  as it hangs in a window. Its uncommonly distinctive, dramatic, zig-zagged leaves are like no other I have seen in the plant world. They are less willing to bloom than Epiphyllum oxypetalum and will need some extra coaxing with a good dose of potassium and some late winter chilling.

Both of these plants are native to the forests and jungles of Mexico, Central, and South America. They are pollinated by nectar-eating bats and bugs that only dine at night. Since these plants live in the understory of the forest, they should not be subjected to full, direct, burning sun. Indoors, an east window with cool morning sun or a bright but filtered south to west facing window would be ideal. Unlike terrestrial cacti that enjoy full sun and dry conditions, these epiphytic cacti require thorough watering once a week and thrive in high humidity. Don’t let them dry out completely during their growing period which is spring and summer.

If you move your plants outdoors in the summer you may want to water them even more often. In summer I move my epiphytes outdoors where they live hanging in a tree. There they can enjoy the dappled light and high humidity of the summer months. From that point of view they are easy to monitor as they put out their goose necked buds, and we can see what night to set the alarm in order to watch their spectacular midnight show.

These plants like being a bit root bound, so only up-pot them an inch or two at a time, rather than moving them to a much larger container. This root binding can actually promote blooming. Be aware that as you move your plant to a bigger pot this will encourage new plant growth, and these plants can get dramatically large. One of my Oxypetalums has a seven-foot wingspan!

Make sure your pots have good drainage, and never let them sit in water. When up-potting, you can use a good cactus mix or a regular potting soil mixed with orchid bark for good drainage. These plants will love a low nitrogen, high potassium/ phosphorus fertilizer with seaweed and fish emulsion in it. If your epiphyllum are not blooming and they are at least 4-7 years old, you can try giving them a chilling period above 40 degrees for 2-3 weeks. You can put them in an unheated but well lit room in late winter, making sure it doesn’t go below 40 degrees

Epiphyllums propagate easily from leaf cuttings. Let the cutting dry for a few days, allowing the cut end to callous over, then dip it in a rooting gel before putting it in loose moist potting soil.  You will notice tiny rootlike hairs coming off of the leaf; these are what the plant uses to hang onto their tree limb in the wild.

You can find hundreds of fascinating and beautiful plants, as well as all the soils, pots, tools and nutrients you will need to grow them at Fifth Season Gardening. We have staff that are well-informed plant lovers who are anxious to answer any questions you may have about all things green and growing!