Definition

1. Noun:
   • A common name for various species of cactus that produce large, fragrant flowers which open only at night and typically wilt by morning. These plants belong to several different genera, including Cereus, Hylocereus, and Selenicereus.

Usage

• The term "night-blooming cereus" is used to describe the remarkable flowering behavior of these plants. It highlights the contrast between their often plain, vine-like or columnar stems and their spectacular, ephemeral nocturnal blooms.
• It functions as a singular noun, but its plural is typically "night-blooming cereuses" or treated as a collective term.

Examples

• Noun:
  • The night-blooming cereus on my patio has three flower buds this year.
  • We stayed up late to watch the night-blooming cereus open its magnificent white flower.
  • The fragrance of a night-blooming cereus can fill an entire garden.

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used in gardening and botanical contexts to evoke a sense of mystery, rarity, and transient beauty due to the flower's brief, nighttime-only display.
• It can be used metaphorically to describe something of great beauty that appears only briefly or under specific, uncommon conditions.

Variants and Related Words

• Queen of the Night: A common name for several species of night-blooming cereus, particularly and .
• Moonflower Cactus: Another synonym for some night-blooming cereus species.
• Cereus (n): A genus of columnar cacti, some of which are night-blooming.
• Epiphyllum (n): A genus of cacti known for their large, often night-blooming flowers, frequently confused with or included under the common name "night-blooming cereus."

Synonyms

• Night-blooming cactus
• Nocturnal cactus (descriptive phrase)

Notes on Different Meanings

The definition encompasses three primary botanical groupings: 1. Cacti of the genus Cereus: Often columnar, tree-like cacti. 2. Cacti of the genus Hylocereus: Climbing or vining cacti, some of which produce dragon fruit (pitaya). 3. Cacti of the genus Selenicereus: Epiphytic or lithophytic climbing cacti, known for very large, fragrant nocturnal flowers. This genus includes the classic "Queen of the Night."

The common name "night-blooming cereus" is applied to plants across these genera due to their shared characteristic of nocturnal flowering, not because they are all in the same genus.

Noun

1. any of several cacti of the genus Cereus
2. any of several cacti of the genus Hylocereus
3. any of several night-blooming cacti of the genus Selenicereus