Epiphyllum oxypetalum

Plant Characteristics
Habit		cacti-succulent
Height:	⇕	10 ft"ft" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 10.
Width:	⇔	3 ft"ft" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 3.
Lifespan:	⌛	perennial
Origin:	✈	Mexico to Brazil
Bloom:	❀	early spring, mid spring, late spring

Cultivation

Exposure:	☼	part-sun, shade
Features:	✓	evergreen, flowers
Minimum Temp:	☃	10°C50 °F <br />283.15 K <br />509.67 °R <br />
Sunset Zones:		8, 9, 14-28, with protection or indoors
Flower features:	❀	red, orange, yellow, purple, pink, white

Scientific Names
Cactaceae >	Epiphyllum >	oxypetalum >

This is the most commonly grown of the Epiphyllum species^wp.

Read about Epiphyllum oxypetalum in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture
Epiphyllum oxypetalum, Haw. (Phyllocactus grandis, Lem.). Very large, sometimes 20 ft. long, with numerous short side branches, and these in the same plane with the main st., thin and lf.-like: fl. large (nearly a foot long), white, night-blooming (sometimes described as day-blooming). Originally from Mex., but said to be found in Honduras and Guatemala; also reported from Cuba, but surely not native there.—One of the commonest and best species in cult. ^CH The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

Stems erect, ascending, scandent or sprawling, profusely branched, primary stems terete, to 2-6 m long, flattened laterally, ligneous at base, secondary stems flat, elliptic-acuminate, to 30 cm x 10-12 cm, thin; margins shallowly to deeply crenate and ± undulate. Flowers produced from flattened portions, to 30 cm long, 12-17 cm wide, nocturnal, very fragrant. The principal odor component in the aroma is benzyl salicylate; pericarpel nude, slightly angled, green, bracteoles short; receptacle 13-20 cm long, 1 cm thick, brownish, arching, bracteoles narrow, ca 10 mm long; outer tepals linear, acute, 8-10 cm long reddish to amber; inner tepals oblanceolate to oblong, acuminate, to 8-10 cm long and 2,5 cm wide, whitish; stamens greenish white or white, slender and weak; style greenish white or white, 4 mm thick, as long as inner tepals, lobes many, pale yellow or white.. Fruit oblong, 12 x 8 cm, purplish red, angled.

Cultivation

An easily cultivated, fast growing epiphyte^wp. Needs compost containing plenty of humus and sufficient moisture in summer^wp. Flower best when pot-bound^AH. Should not be kept under 10°C (50°F) in winter^wp. Can be grown in semi-shade or full sun. Extra light in the early spring will stimulate budding^wp, but over watering will cause bud drop^sn. Giant, up to 10 inch flowers in late spring or early summer and large specimens can produce several crops of flowers in a season^wp. Fertilize with low-nitrogen fertilizer before and after flowering^sn.

Propagation

Cutting should root pretty easily in spring and summer. Allow cutting wound to dry for a couple of days before planting.

Pests and diseases

Fungal leaf and stem spot, mealybugs, scale insects^AH.

Cultivars

Gallery

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Flower of Epiphyllum oxypetalum
Young Epiphyllum oxypetalum flower buds in May. Longer bud about 4 cm long.
Flower in full bloom
Flower in full bloom

References

Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963
American Horticultural Society: A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, by Christopher Brickell, Judith D. Zuk. 1996. ISBN 0789419432
Sunset National Garden Book. Sunset Books, Inc., 1997. ISBN 0376038608

External links

w:Epiphyllum oxypetalum. Some of the material on this page may be from Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons license.
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