Xerophyte

Habit

It is a vigorous branching, bushy, semiepiphytic perennial cactus. At first upright, then pendent, about 90 cm across.

Description

Epiphyllum crenatumSN|7835]]SN|7835]] (Lindl.) G. Don ( Crenate Orchid cactus) is a very a very popular and well-known species with robust stems, leaf-like in appearance and with margins notched or scalloped. The outsize white, very fragrant flowers opening at night are exceptional in its genus for the longer duration of blooming the following days. It is free flowering and beautiful.Two subspecies are recognized, the nominate form and subsp. kimnachii (Bravo ex Kimnach) U. Guzmán.

Flowers

On the tips of the stems, strongly fragrant (18--29 cm long, 10-20 cm in diameter. Pericarpel (hypanthium) 5-angled, 3 cm long, 1,5-1,7 cm thick, with acute, long-decurrent podaria, bracteoles (small bracts) subtening 0-2 (-8) spines to 7 mm long, green. Receptacle 10–12 cm long, ca 1,5 cm thick at middle, green often reddish at apex or reddish throughout, bearing numerous linear to oblong, obtuse, more or less keeled bracleoles 2–3 cm long, somewhat spreading. Outer tepals inserted within 2 cm of receptacle apex, (7-)10–12 cm long, broadly oblanceolate-linear, greenish yellow to tawny yellow or reddish amber, the outermost sometimes margined red or streaked; inner tepals as long as outer, spathulate to oblanceolate, acuminate to mucronate, white, creamy white or greenish yellow. Nectaries ca 3–4 cm long. Stamens numerous, declinate, shorter than tepals, inserted in two zones the lower one ca 4 cm long, from a point ca 4 cm from the ovary chamber, the upper zone forming a throat circle ca 2 cm above, filaments 5–7 cm long, pale yellow or pale greenish yellow; style 15–20 cm long, as long or longer than stamens, 2–3 mm thick, widest at base. Stigma lobes white, 8-9, papillose.

Blooming Season

Flowers in late spring or early summer, remaining open for several days.

Stem

Primary stems cylindrical or three-angled, becoming woody. Secondary stems unsegmented, unarmed, leaflike, rather succulent, erect to ascending, 2- (or 3-) winged, flattened for most of their length, lanceolate to long linear, terete, tapering at both ends, showing a very thick midrib, and becoming woody at base, acute or obtuse at apex, to 50(-60) cm long and 6–10 cm wide (3.5cm overall), green or grey- green somewhat glaucous, smooth, rather thick, margins with fairly deep oblique crenation (wavy-toothed).

Fruits

Oblong to globose, the podaria long decurrent, acute.

Areoles

Confined to margins, spineless. Areoles at the bases of stems sometimes bearing hairs or small bristles.