The queen of the night, otherwise known as True night blooming cereus, the Dutchman’s pipe cactus or Epiphyllum oxypetalum, has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. My grandmother has a great specimen in one of her windows, which she got from a castle nearby. I always thought it was strange and somewhat spooky looking, in all its spindly glory, but in an intriguing way. I spent many evenings reading comic books right under its unsettling form, and today I have my own specimen that came from one of her very cuttings. I even had the fortune to be visiting one night when it happened to bloom - the only time it has, as far as I’ve been told.
This plant is semi-epiphytic, meaning that it has dirt-focused roots as well as air roots. They originate in the central parts of the Americas, and - most importantly - produce a great flower that blooms for a single night.1 These flowers are specifically produced to attract the Nocturnal Hawk Moth. Supposedly its floral tube that is 30 cm long, matching the moth’s proboscis.2 Being semi-epiphytic they don’t need too much dirt, and actually prefer being (somewhat) root bound.3
Researching the plant has proven surprisingly difficult, especially being bilingual and having no knowledge of the scientific name beforehand. I was very confused by the similar plant, princess of the night or Selenicereus pteranthus. It has similar properties, particularly the flower that blooms for one night only. As it turns out, Epiphyllum oxypetalum oftentimes gets called “Nattens drottning” in swedish, despite the real name being “stor bladkaktus” (big leaf cactus, way less cool)4.
In English it’s slightly more straightforward, though the two still have similar names. There seems to be some confusion regarding what is named what, which shows through when researching. There is a reason that many of the plant enthusiasts I have come across feel very strongly about the use of the scientific name, rather than more common variants. Quotes such as "Somewhere in there was Selenicereus pteranthus, the queen of the night cactus, whose spiky flower opens in May for but a single night, an event celebrated with Champagne and a midnight closing time."5 further demonstrates this. It is very clearly not referring to what most people know as queen of the night, though still technically using the name correctly.
The quote mentioned above does, however, shed a light on the interesting cultural mark left by this astounding flower and its likes. Despite the texts discussing the plant being fairly few and far-between, I have come across a surprising amount of mentions of traditions surrounding its rare bloom.
Now, this quote isn’t specifically about the Epiphyllum oxypetalum either, but another cousin, Selenicereus grandiflorus, which shares its common name. However, it is worth pointing out either way. Svanberg, the author of the quote, discusses the allure of the queen of the night and its namesakes (due to the naming issues it’s difficult to know which queen of the night his sources actually refer to). He points out that the combination of a gorgeous large flower, the dramatic flare that defines them, and the rarity of its bloom may be what gives it a lot of its charm.
No matter the reason, people ranging from Russian botanists to little old Swedish ladies have been recorded staying up late with their most beloved beverage, be that coffee or champagne, to get to see these rare flowers. It is specified that staying up late generally was avoided in these 1940s homes, yet this occasion was made an exception. Svanberg points out a multitude of other sources - many from literature, but some personal accounts too - that mention the queen of the night. It’s nearly impossible to tell if these actually refer to Selenicereus grandiflorus, Epiphyllum oxypetalum or Selenicereus pteranthus. For the sake of this text, the differentiation is not crucial, either. The important thing is that it - or very similar plants - has a noteworthy cultural significance.
(Another cultural example that I personally enjoy is in W.I.T.C.H. The novel named “Nattens Drottning” is explicitly inspired by Epiphyllum Oxypetalum. Unfortunately, there is no english translation at the point of writing.)7
Unfortunately all three have fallen out of fashion in later years. I have found myself pointing towards their relative rarity, but have realized that they’re quite well-loved historically. All of these plants are fairly ugly when they aren’t in bloom, as Svanberg mentions. He points to this - as well as the very short lived flower that takes all too long to bloom - as the reason it’s less popular, claiming that it’s not compatible with the wants and needs of a modern world. I am inclined to agree that may be part of the reason. It is difficult to find studies outright claiming that humans are becoming less patient - kids even appear to be increasingly capable of managing delayed gratification8 however, there may still be reason to believe it is partially the case. More than one third of US adults report sleeping less than 7 hours per night9, which has been shown to correlate with lower patience levels and increase risks of depression10. Depression, in turn, has been shown to decrease patience11. Though fairly simplistic, this correlation lets us see that the decreasing patience level may not be a simple case of people being upset at so-called “kids these days”.
Even though the trends aren’t in favor of the Epiphyllum Oxypetalum there is reason to get it. Firstly, the need to be patient may actually make it a valuable asset rather than a boring companion - the links between patience and mental wellbeing goes both ways. Furthermore, on a slightly more simplistic note, its spindly form simply looks fairly stunning despite the negative comments that have been present in this text. It has a certain gothic charm. Its size and sprawl gives it plenty of character, especially in combination with the unique look it has. Mine gets in my way more times than not, but in a way that feels less like a nuisance and more like a dear friend reaching out to me, saying “I am here. Look at me, know you have company.” Simply put, there is a reason it (and the likes of it) has a prominent cultural niche - it just is that cool.
1Master Gardener Landscaping. Night Blooming Cereus. Tropical Plant Library [n/a] http://mgonline.com/articles/NightBloomingCereus.aspx (read 03/10/2023)
2Scott, Pam. Epiphyllum, Queen of the Night. Fifth Season Gardening co. 2022. https://fifthseasongardening.com/epiphyllum-queen-of-the-night (read 03/10/2023)
3Adapted from Benson, 1982 and Cullman, 1987. Biology of Cacti. DALHOUSIE COLLECTION OF CACTI & OTHER SUCCULENTS. [n/a] http://versicolor.ca/cactus/biology.html (read 03/10/2023)
4Wikipedia. Stor bladkaktus, 2021. https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stor_bladkaktus (read 01/10/2023)
5Laskin, David. History Is Perennial in the Gardens of the Great Czars. Alexander Palace Time Machine. 2006. https://www.alexanderpalace.org/palace/nytimes.php (read 15/8/2023)
6Svanberg, Ingvar. En skönhet som uppenbaras i sällsynta ögonblick: Rendezvous med nattens drottning. In Swedish Dialects and Folk Traditions, Maj Reinhammar and Gerd Eklund (red.), 143-156. Uppsala: Kungl. Gustav Adolfs Akademien, 2010.
7W.I.T.C.H. wiki. Queen of the night, [n/a]. https://witch.fandom.com/wiki/Queen_of_the_Night (read 08/10/2023)
8Mischel, W. et.al. Cohort Effects in Children’s Delay of Gratification. Developmental Psychology Vol. 54, no. 8, 2018: 1395-1407. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/dev0000533
9Liu, Yong. et.al. Prevalence of Healthy Sleep Duration among Adults--United States, 2014. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Vol 65, no. 6, 2016: 137-141. doi: https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6506a1
10Medic, Goran, Willie Micheline, Hemels, Michiels. Short- and long-term health consequences of sleep disruption. Nature and Science of Sleep. Vol. 9, 2017: 151-161. doi: https://doi.org/10.2147/NSS.S134864
11Schnitker, Sarah. et.al. Patient patients: Increased patience associated with decreased depressive symptoms in psychiatric treatment. The Journal of Positive Psychology. Vol. 15, no. 3, 2019: 300-313. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2019.1610482