Cereus Flower

Dr. Faulkner shared the following about a really cool flower we have here in the greenhouse at EGMS:

"The night-blooming cereus did open its single blossom on the night of November 3, and I opened up the greenhouse so folks could come see it if they wanted. Quite a few families came. It's a spectacular tropical flower, a member of the orchid cactus family.  It is pollinated by bats -- the pistol looks like a spider and the stamen look like little bugs.  No wonder bats carry its pollen. It's a relatively rare plant in the north and when it flowers, it only opens its flower at night and for just one night -- by morning the flower

is closed up forever. They smell good, too. I was surprised  to get a blossom in the fall/winter -- this is likely to be the only one all school year; we've never had one before. It did bloom fabulously during the heat of the summer, though."