The "Queen of the Night", Selenicereus grandiflorus, reveals its beauty at night. Its large flowers are among the most beautiful in the cactus family. They also smell of chocolate and vanilla – no wonder the plant inspires succulent fans from all over the world.
With its spiny branches and typical aerial roots, the "Queen of the Night" remains inconspicuous and not particularly attractive cactus for most of the year. Its beauty isn't revealed until it blooms at night. Its floral splendour is very transient: until midnight it spreads a beguiling scent of vanilla and later chocolate, after which its spectacular appearance is over – the blossom withers until dawn.
The growing fruits are densely covered with thorns. These fall off as soon as the fruits are ripe. In Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and northern South America, where the epiphytic climbing plant is widespread, birds, lizards and rodents are probably looking forward to the delicacies and thus enabling them to spread.
Be there when the succulent collection opens its doors once a year at night. Sign up for the newsletter of the Förderverein der Sukkulenten-Sammlung Zürich and stay up to date on the development of the buds.
Depending on the weather, the flowers begin to open between 6 and 8 p.m. and are fully unfolded around 10 p.m. Now they also smell: first delicate, later strongly of vanilla and chocolate.
The evening opening lasts from 9.30 p.m. to midnight.
Find out about the development of our "queen" and don't miss the evening opening in her honour. If you subscribe to the "Queen of the Night" newsletter of the Förderverein der Sukkulenten-Sammlung Zürich, you won't miss out on the rare splendour of flowers.
