Saturday, June 13, 2015

Bloom Night

Last night was Bloom Night here in Tucson. Once a year, the Peniocereus greggi, also known as the Desert cereus, blooms. You never get much warning about this event since even experts can only tell the day of when they are likely to bloom. Friday morning word went out that it was bloom night.

The cereus blooms one night per year so this really is Bloom Night singular (although there are always a few stragglers most of them bloom one night and one night only. They live all over Tucson but there are none in my condo complex so I went to Tohono Chul park and their bloom night event. I got there later after our Friday night improv show and it was still pretty busy but, based on all the cars parked down the road, not as bad as it was earlier in the night!

So here are a couple of shots of the Queen of the Night.


3 comments:

kkdither said...

The plant itself looks almost like a dead stick in a dry pot. The flowers are beautiful! Are they aromatic?

Wisconsin is noted for the stinkiest plant that blooms once, every 7 to 10 years, also a short-lived blossom ranging from 24 to 48 hours. Amorphophallus titanum, but it is also known as the corpse or cadaver plant. Not indigenous, but grown in hot houses or greenhouses. Madison has a HUGE one on campus, I think it is nicknamed Big Bucky? Guaranteed to gag you... and yet, people flock to see (smell) it. I've not made the journey.

OrbsCorbs said...

There must be some sort of photosynthesis occurring during the day to support the night bloomers. How strange. I assume the plants are monoecious because there wouldn't be time to pollinate in one night, and who's going to do it? The bees are sleeping.

Thanks for the photo, hale.

Tender Heart Bear said...

That is beautiful.