Palisadian. [volume] (Cliffside Park, N.J.) 1906-current, 1915-09-04
A Night Blooming
Cereus Plant Out
In West Palisade

One of the rarest of all plant life
is the night blooming cereus of the
cactus family. On Monday and Tues
day nights of last week there was
one of these unusual plants in full
flower at the Breiby home in West
Palisade. Almost all of the immedi-
ate neighborhood were asked over to
see the interesting spectacle, besides
a number from Palisade. On Mon
day evening there was only one flower
to bloom, but on Tuesday night two
additional ones filled the entire house
from cellar to attic with the bewild-
ering aroma of the plants enticing
odor.
No description can properly tell
of the night blooming cereus. The
plant itself is rather unattractive,
consisting of long, vine-like,
winding body three or four feet
high with probably eight or ten
large scraggly leaves of the shape,
size and color of rubber plant leaves,
though more irregular. The stalk of
the plant is about five-eights of an
inch in diameter, and the leaves eight
or ten inches long by three or four
inches wide. The leaves carry heavy
veins, and when a flower is ready to
mature, one of the veins suddenly
enlarges, and the stem of the en-
bryotic flower shoots out from the
very edge of the leaf. 1t is remark
able that the flower should find it's
beginning from the leaf of the
plant, from which it suspends itself
not unlike a horn eight or nine
inches long, with the bell of the
flower hanging down the outer color
being brown before it begins to un-
fold. When the one night in the
year arrives for the cereus to bloom,
the long blossom begins gradually to
unfold itself until the full bloom
comes out about ten p. m. Then the
entire house is redolent with it's
pungent perfume. The flower is
gorgeous!
Once open the flower throws it's
long petals back like many-pointed
star, but bell shaped, from the inside
Of which come the numerous pistils
and the stamen, the latter also star
shaped, and positioned in the mouth
of the huge flower like the clapper of
a bell.
From within, beginning at the apex,
and curling down toward the wider
part of the flowers edge, are scores
of thread-like pistils not unlike the
silk of corn ears, but more rigid and
cream white, as are the petals within
the bell. The entire flower itself is
cream white, and of indescribable
grace and color as it hangs from the
leaf. When midnight arrives, the
flower gradually closes until by morn
ing it is limp upon the plant, and is
cut away, not to send forth another
flower until whole year has passed.
The inner bell with the pistils and
stamen Of the night blooming cereus
resemble a couch of rest, and one
looks in vain again and again within
it's conical curves to understand it's
mystery. There is an irresistible
beauty to the night blooming cereus
that holds one almost spell bound be-
fore its magnetic charm, as though
it's silent expansion into a life of
only few hours, possessed some
sacred influence which one can only
look at in wonderment and surmise
what all of it's subtle mystery means.
There is no doubt about the influence
of this freak of nature. 1t weaves a
spell upon the beholder that is i'm
possible to evade, or understand. 1t
isn't exactly awe one feels, but GER
tain kinship to it. And the longer
one watches it, the deeper it's spell,
the greater it's radiance.