Abstract: Epiphyllum, this name sounds like people yearn for it. It is like a mysterious beauty that blooms quietly when night falls, and then quietly leaves accidentally. So, what does the epiphyllum look like? Today, let us lift this mystery together and find out. Epiphyllum, learn...
Epiphyllum, the name sounds like it makes people yearn for it. It is like a mysterious beauty that blooms quietly when night falls, and then quietly leaves accidentally. So, what does the epiphyllum look like? Today, let us lift this mystery together and find out.
Epiphyllum, scientific name Epiphyllum oxypetalum, belongs to the genus Epiphyllum of the family Cactus and is an epiphytic succulent shrub plant. It is about 2-6 meters high and has an old stem that is cylindrical and lignified. Epiphyllum has many branches, leaf-like and flat sides, lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, the edges are wavy or deeply crenate, the base is acute, short acuminate or tapering into a handle shape, dark green, and glabrous. The middle rib is thick, 2-6 mm wide, and protrudes on both sides. The branches of old plants produce aerial roots. These branches are arranged neatly, like a slender girl, elegant and dignified.
The flowers of the epiphyllum are single in the small nest on the side of the branch. They are funnel-shaped, open at night, and are fragrant. The flowers are 25-30 centimeters long and 10-12 centimeters in diameter. They are like a beautiful woman in costumes, dancing in the night. The receptacle is green, with slight horns, and covered with triangular short scales, like a beautiful green shawl. The petal-shaped tepals are white, obovate-lanceolate to obovate, 7-10 cm long, 3-4.5 cm wide, and the edges are entire or eroded, like a white wedding dress, beautiful and moving.
The flowering period of epiphyllum is generally in summer and autumn, from June to October. When the flowers bloom, the night air is filled with a faint fragrance, like a beautiful fairy dancing in the night. The blooming time of the epiphyllum is after 8-9 o'clock in the evening. The kaleidoscope is slowly tilted, the purple coat is slowly opened, and the blooming lasts for about 3 to 5 hours. Then the corolla will close, the flowers will soon wither, and the opening time is very short. This is what people often call "a flash in the pan".
Although the flowering period of epiphyllum is short, its beauty is unforgettable. In order to extend the flowering time of epiphyllum, the following measures can be taken: appropriate application of fertilizer and water, and keeping the temperature low when blooming can prolong the flowering time, and sometimes it can continue to bloom until early morning. There is also a way to make the epiphyllum bloom during the day. Before the epiphyllum grows buds and opens, move the epiphyllum to a dark dark room or cover it with black plastic film during the day, without touching the sun, and illuminate it with light at night to keep the epiphyllum under light. After 7-8 days of treatment, the epiphyllum can bloom during the day.
Epiphyllum is not only beautiful, but also has rich cultural connotations. In my country, epiphyllum is known as the "beauty under the moon", implying beauty, mystery and transience. A flash in the pan has also become an idiom used by people to describe that good things do not last long.
Epiphyllum, this mysterious beauty, blooms in the night and leaves inadvertently. Its beauty makes people intoxicated and sigh. What does the epiphyllum look like? It is a beautiful legend, a moving poem, and a spiritual symbol. Let us appreciate the beauty of epiphyllum and feel the good times it brings us.