This is the first time mine has bloomed. I had a total of 9 blooms in 3 days. The most were 4 at once. WoooHooo! LOL!
Hooker's Orchid Cactus
Another
The 4 blooms
Oh, how beautiful! I sure wish I could catch mine when it blooms ... I've had the dang plant for thirty two years and have only seen the wilted blooms!
Very nice!
Thanks! They were lightly fragrant.
Mine began opening around 10pm on a Saturday night so I got to watch the first bloom. It stayed open until about 8am then began fading.
The blooms are beautiful. I hope it blooms again this year!
That's funny what you did with the name in the title! I had to take a double-take. Here's my Epiphyllum hookeri aka Epiphyllum strictum.
Actually I didn't do that to the name! Yours is beautiful...
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/32526/
This message was edited Sep 1, 2008 10:13 AM
Oh, that is too funny that that is its name. I had no idea. There are some funny names in the plant world, aren't there? There is one plumeria called Slaughter Pink that I think is a hideous name, but the person who found it and named it had a last name of Slaughter!
Do you get aphids on yours? My ants work overtime and ruin the flowers with aphids. I think I'll have to move it somewhere off of the ground.
Slaughter - uh that's awful!
I didn't see any aphids, but I did have some ants. Mine is planted in a heavy concrete planter and then I sat the planted on top of an old table. I had DH pull it into the garage when TS Fay came through. I didn't want it to get water logged. I had just found all the buds on it and didn't want to loose them either LOL!
I have a huge Epiphyllum hookeri and this last time it had a few buds (that I missed opening once again%&*$%! I noticed ants crawling all over the buds! The plant doesn't have aphids so I'm wondering if the night bloomers are a bit like some hoyas ... they attract night pollinators? Maybe the ants carry the pollen off to other plants?
My plant is out in the back yard planted in a plastic container and we do have lots of ants here in Florida but the only time I've seen ants on mine is when it's in bud.
Oh, I see now in the picture what your container looks like and how its off the ground. That probably saves it from ants and aphids. Ants farm aphids so, whenever I find ants on my plants, I usually find aphids or mealies. My plant is on the ground and from the time there are buds to the time after flowering, the ants have covered the blooms in aphids. I blast them off with a stream of water, but that will wreck the open blooms. I think I just need to move it up high where they can't get to it.
Sir William Jackson Hooker
http://davesgarden.com/guides/botanary/search.php?search_text=hookeri&Search.x=0&Search.y=0
Is strictum a cultivar? or synonym? of hookeri ..... has anyone decided definitively? With references, please. :-)
hmmmm .... Dave's doesn't seem to like its own URLs (Funny it is correct in the preview, however)
Go to Botanary and search Hookeri
This message was edited Sep 21, 2008 10:31 AM
I don't know a lot about Epiphyllums but always thought E. strictum was a totally different plant, the listing in Plant Files for E. hookeri shows a lot of synonyms but strictum is not one of them: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/2100/
But I found this site: http://www.ecology.org/orchids/index5.html#Epis
If you scroll down the page, there is a listing for E. hookeri and farther down the E. strictum with the description of the plant. This site says E. hookeri is the correct taxonomic name but strictum is a synonym. It also says the blooms are fragrant. My plant bloomed last week with @ 8 blooms opening over a couple of nights. I detect absolutely no fragrance on mine.
I took this photo @ 11:30 p.m.
They are the same plant. Mine has a faint daisy fragrance. You can go to Epiforums.com for more information: http://www.epiforums.com/
This message was edited Sep 21, 2008 12:51 PM
I have one more bloom this morning! I've noticed that when the blooms starts closing is when the scent starts. It's faint like Clare_CA said. I have to stick my nose very close to the bloom to smell it.
MySharona: Wow! That is a nice photo! Thanks for telling me about the fragrance. Next time I get a bloom I will try to wait until it begins to fade to see if I can detect the scent.
Some say the scent is kind of lemony .... I can't decide.
Woooooo Hooooooo I just counted 12 new tiny buds!
my two turned to mush and fell off :-(
That will make for an awesome display should they all blast at once!!
bummer...I'd cry :(
My sharona great! pictures please
WNYwillieB so sorry
I wasn't surprised ..... it had been quite rainy and they were outdoors for the summer.
And, at that same time, I missed the Oxy bloom, because it was way too wet to go mucking back there to bring it in.
Ha Ha.
Ah well, good thing next year will be here before we realize it!!
I can't wait to see Sharona's pics! :-)
Wow! Twelve more buds? Can't wait to see the pictures! Wouldn't it be wonderful if they were all to open at once!
I will have to check mine to see if it has any new buds.
Well, I had 15 buds, now I'm down to 11. I hope the cooler weather we are getting (no complaints) doesn't kill all the buds.
I would love to have a leaf from the plant if one falls off. I would pay postage.etc.
Lavina
Lavina: You have d-mail!
LavinaMae: HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I just noticed the birthday listings on my home page and I'm sorry I'm so late with wishes but I hope you had a Beautiful Day! Look for a package from me by the end of the week! ^_^
Lin
Happy birthday LavinaMae
Sandy the epi not
Thanks ladies. I had a great one.LOL My green house is to be erected today and I can aquire lots of Epis.I hope.
Lavina
Happy Birthday LavinaMae, Hope you fill your greenhouse with epis. Linda my new motto, epis are like pokemon ( gotta have em all)
Ahmen!!!! Or like potato chips you can't stop at one.
Sandy the epi nut.
A belated Happy Birthday to you!
This is the only epi I have, but I sure have enjoyed it this year LOL!
If I can get off my duff I will have the epi oxy for you in the mail.
Happy Birthday Lavina!
I'm down to 6 buds :(
I often wonder what causes the bud drop. Not enough food? Too much water? Too cold? Too warm ...... It does take a lot of energy to pop open a flower.
Fingers crossed for 6!!
We're going through weather changes. I'm thinking too much rain and temps dropping.
Had about 1.5" of rain in the last 2 days and our temps have dropped to the 60's-70's. Normal for this time of year, but rats, why did it have to happen when I got all the buds? LOL!
know what you mean.
I was out inventory my epis. I have so far broken off 3 more pieces. I have not desided what I will do with them.
Sandy, if you have any epis other than white ones - I have those, I would love a "fall-off" cutting.
I will have to check, will get back to you.