Why is the flowering time so short?

The flowering phenomenon. Epiphyllum belongs to the family of cacti, and most of the members of the family have a characteristic that the flowering time is very short. In particular, epiphyllum, a flower from blooming to withering, only four or five hours, and always open in the middle of the night, so it has a strange name in Mexico, called "twelve o'clock flower".

Why is it so short to blossom in the pan?

It turned out that epiphyllum lived for generations in the tropical deserts of Central and South America. The temperature difference between day and night in the desert varies greatly. The temperature is high and very hot during the day, while the temperature is lower and much cooler at night. Epiphyllum flowers choose to bloom within four or five hours in the evening, and wither the next morning, so that delicate flowers will not be scorched by the strong sun. This special way of flowering enables it to live and reproduce in the harsh environment of drought and heat. Over time, this habit has been passed down from generation to generation.

Where are the epiphyllum flowers blooming?

At first glance, epiphyllum seems to be blooming on the leaves, but in fact it is still blooming on the stem. Because the leaves of epiphyllum have been degraded, the so-called "leaves" seen by people are actually abnormal stems. Similar to epiphyllum, such as cactus, crab claw orchid, false leaf tree and so on, their flowers seem to bloom on the leaves, but in fact they all bloom on the stems. Their leaves are also degraded, and the so-called "leaves" are just the metamorphosis of stems.

When does epiphyllum blossom

Epiphyllum flowering season is generally from June to October, flowering time is generally after 8 o'clock in the evening, mostly at 10:00 in the evening, blooming time is only 3-4 hours, very short.

When epiphyllum blossoms, it opens very quickly within the first hour of opening. The kaleidoscope slowly tilted up, the purple coat slowly opened, and in the following half an hour, it was in full bloom. The large white flowers composed of more than 20 petals opened, and when they opened, the petals and stamens were trembling and gorgeous. After that, there were three regrettable contractions. The whole process of contraction is soothing and lasts for 5 hours until the flowers wither. If you want to watch epiphyllum bloom naturally, the best time is 2015: 00 / 23: 00 (8: 00 / 11: 00 in the evening) for 3 hours. But only 3 or 4 hours later, the Corolla closed and the flowers withered quickly. It was really a flash in the pan!

Epiphyllum blossoms several times a year

How many times can you have a flash in the pan in a year? The relevant data are recorded for 4 to 5 times, and the conclusion drawn from the potted plant experience of Huayou for many years is that it can be opened six times a year.

Some flower friends carried out a short-lived experiment on the balcony. Over the past 10 years, 46 pots of epiphyllum have been potted (including cuttings). Last year, 20 pots bloomed, the group blossomed 8 times a year, the total number of flowering days was 26 days, and the total number of flowers was 151. Among them, the single plant planted in pot for 10 years blossomed 6 times, the cumulative number of flowering days reached 20 days, and the total number of flowers was 34.

Why do epiphyllum bloom at night?

1. Epiphyllum is native to the Mexican desert in tropical America, where the climate is both dry and hot. After long-term adaptation to natural conditions, epiphyllum is not afraid of drought. Epiphyllum leaves degenerated into very small needles to reduce water transpiration, high temperature during the day, large water evaporation, can not get enough water to open flowers, and so on in the evening when the temperature is lower and evaporation is less, to get enough water to blossom.

2. This is related to climatic conditions-under suitable humidity and temperature, delicate epiphyllum blossoms. In South America, the summer night is much cooler than the daytime, and blooming at night keeps the flowers away from the sun: 21, 100, 22, 200, 20, 26, ℃, and the relative humidity is above 80%. Only then can epiphyllum bloom. In the middle of the night, the temperature drops and epiphyllum shrinks gradually; such an open period avoids the injury of high and low temperatures.