The plant i am describing is the Queen of the Night, Epiphyllum oxypetalum. It only opens at the middle of the night, gaining the title and the mystic it probably deserved. It further gives off a sweet scent also during those precious moments. Imagine chasing it for the past two years in vain! I have posted the still maturing inflorescence last year, but subsequent weekend visits either was one day late or one night early. That incredible un-serendipitous moments just even heightened my enthusiasm to watch the actual blooming drama. And this time i succeeded. I went home on a Saturday, and by the looks of the closed flowers, they will open either that night or Sunday. It failed that Saturday, so I delayed my return to the city till early Monday morning. That fateful Sunday night is the most awaited night...after 3 years of waiting! OMG i shouldn't sleep early! I even put my celfone alarm at 11:00pm. But that was not necessary, i stayed there most of the time starting at sunset.
The plant is actually my neighbor's, who is my cousin. The plant is at the back of our kitchen, planted on a sloping ground, making it more difficult to stay there for a long time, as the chair I lug along cannot stay put. This is the 2nd night of its blooming this season, where more than 2 dozen flowers simultaneously opened. Only less than 10 flowers are yet to bloom in the future, but i will not be there anymore when that happens. I am fully satiated with this explosion of blooms tonight.
Saturday afternoon, 4:00pm
Sunday afternoon, 4:00pm
Sunday 11:00 pm
Sunday 11:00 pm
To show the progress of just one flower, the bottom shots show one single bloom's progress through the night.
Saturday afternoon, 4:00pm
Sunday night, 9:00pm
Sunday, 11:00pm, an unknown bee lured by its scent
maximum opening at 11:30 pm
already spent blooms around 1:00am
The above photo shows only the flowers at the bottom, a lot of them are at the top side and at the back not seen in the frame.
Oh! you saw it bloom! You witnessed a little Miracle! Thank you for sharing it with these beautiful pictures.
ReplyDeleteDear Andrea, your incredible persistence paid off. Congratulations! Your post below is also fascinating - in spite of being more fattening than this post. Even nasty little biting midges have their uses. cheers, catmint
ReplyDeleteNice photographs, flowers are looking superbly. I am greeting
ReplyDeleteA lovely bloom. It looks like it was well worth staying up for.
ReplyDeleteGreat shots! Thank you for sharing the preious bloom.
ReplyDeleteFabulous shots! It's the first time I've seen these flowers.
ReplyDeleteMy entry.
How wonderful that you took so many shots of this grand event!
ReplyDeleteThey are absolutely gorgeous! I am glad you get to witness them bloomed after three long waited years!
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful that you got to see it bloom. Love the sequence of photos. It certainly is a beauty.
ReplyDeleteSuch interesting and beautiful flower shots!
ReplyDeleteThey are so lovely! A neighbour got this plant , I once managed to captured the flower in the daytime and forgot about it blooming at night , so no photos.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing, Andrea! I would never see it without your help. Thank you, my friend!
ReplyDeleteAmazing! First time I've seen or even heard of this plant. Gorgeous blooms and totally amazing. Thanks for sharing. Mumzie
ReplyDeleteThat's beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThis is an amazing flower. Imagine timing its bloom the way you did, finally after three years. It is truly beautiful.
ReplyDeleteYael from Home Garden Diggers
Marvelous! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend!
eine Königin der Nacht und der Duft..so toll wie diese Bilder.:D
ReplyDeleteLG vom katerchen
Great photos, strange flower!
ReplyDeleteHave a nice day!
What a beauty! You captured it so well!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing such a lovely post.
Hope to see you on my blog:)
That is just beautiful. Thank you for sharing so much great pics.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh that is such a neat flower! I have never seen one before!
ReplyDeleteOh this is fascinating and how exciting to be part of witnessing such an unusual bloom! Thx for sharing this wonderful ocassion
ReplyDeleteWhat a unique plant, one that I've never seen before. Thank you so much for the time-lapse photography that you shared with us--very interesting. Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeletereally fantastic!
ReplyDeleteThis is so fascinating - even the plant's name is tres chic - Queen of the Night....Your photos, so well done.....I love 'time lapse' with blooming flowers, espec. one so unique and gorgeous...wow
ReplyDeleteOh my! Such a beauty! Life is sweet! Thanks Andrea for such a life-affirming post. Please tell me, which province is this? Does this flower grow in many places in the Philippines? Regards, Karmi
ReplyDeleteHi Dear Karmi, this is a succulent or with the cactus family so thrives in the hot and humid climate of the Philippines anywhere here!But just like any cactus it doesn't like flooding instead a well-drained soil is much preferred. But it is also an epiphyte which means they can thrive on debris in tree trunks and branches. But in the soil it grows better as per my observation in the province.
Deletehow beautiful! thanks for sharing this wonderful blossoms with us! :)
ReplyDeleteThese are amazing!!! Love the story told through your photos :)
ReplyDeleteHope you can stop by my blog and say hello, and "Like" Hood Photography on Facebook! Have a wonderful weekend!
I am so glad I got to see this!! I always wanted to see one of these - thanks for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteOh yeah ok then (that's a nice nice name), you should have joined me during my vigil waiting until midnight till it opened! It would have been more fun if one is not alone! Thanks for visiting.
DeleteAbsolutely amazing! I love those photos!!!
ReplyDeleteThey are gorgeous! What an amazing series of photos!
ReplyDeleteamazing! i wish i could witness this miracle before i kick the bucket.:p
ReplyDeletea few years ago, my SIL called me in the office to tell me about this flower that she predicted would bloom that Friday night, and she invited me come over to witness it. i could hear my brother and nephews excited voices at the background. unfortunately, i wasn't able to drive to Cavite that Friday night...I came on Saturday morning and it was all over.:(
Yes Luna, you must put it to heart before you will be able to realize it. And during the fateful night, you will be like in a vigil. :)
Deletewow Andrea that was worth the wait! a macrophotographer's dream plant to photograph with all it's little intricate little bits LOL. Beautiful photographs aswell :)
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the blooms and thanks for letting us share them.
ReplyDeleteYou made a wise decision to delay your departure back to the city and it paid off. I'm sure this is once in a lifetime experience, also a very memorable 'first time' experience yeah? To see one flower blooming is not easy but you have just witnessed so many blooms. My late dad believe strongly that sudden good luck will come when EO blooms. May you be blessed with many many good luck and opportunities!
ReplyDeleteAt last you opened this post, i was actually excited waiting for you to see this! I even summoned you in FB!
Deletealoha,
ReplyDeleteyes these are fun to stay up for and view in the middle of the night, i always love seeing these blooms in a different situation and that is at nighttime.
Stunning photos! What a gorgeous bloom--I loved seeing the stages! Thanks for sharing! Happy GBBD!
ReplyDeleteThese are wonderful photos and I thank you for posting the link here. I'm usually in bed early, so it looks like I'm going to have to make plans to stay awake for the 'grand opening' of these blooms.
ReplyDeleteFlowerLady
Andrea, I link to your post today. For your future reference, my link is as follows:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.mynicegarden.com/2012/08/my-diy-home-garden-in-malaysia-gbbd-aug.html
What a treat to see the process from bud to flower -thanks so much for sharing!
ReplyDelete