While most of the world sleeps after the sun has gone down and the moon is high, certain special and rare flowers choose this quiet, inauspicious time of the day to come alive in full bloom. Certain species of flowers regularly bloom in the dark night hours only to recoil from the daylight sun. Some rare species only bloom once, sometimes exactly at midnight only to die off as dawn begins to break through.
The Kadupul flower is native to Sri Lanka, although this legendary flower is seldom seen even by the local people. The flower begins to stir at around 10:30 p.m., and the night air becomes permeated with the sweet fragrant scent of the Kadupul. One petal will gradually open until it is completely unfolded, and then each petal will follow in turn until the entire flower is in full bloom usually right about the same time midnight strikes. The fragrance of the flower will increase in intensity as the flower reaches full bloom, but immediately following full bloom the petals begin to wilt and the blossom dies with the onset of dawn.
Zaluzianskya Capensis, also known as Midnight Candy, is a plant native to South Africa. During the days of summer, the plant displays deep maroon colored buds. At night, the buds open to display brilliant white flowers with petals that resemble a heart shape. As the flowers open in the dead of night, they release a sweet fragrance to perfume the air.
The Night-Blooming Cereus is also known as the Midnight-Blooming Cereus, the Queen of the Night and by a more scientific name of either the Selenicereus genus, which is native to the Caribbean, or the Hylocereus genus typically native to the tropical regions. The Night-Blooming Cereus does not bloom until nightfall, and the flower bud generally begins to open its petals around 9:00 or 10:00 in the evening. The bloom is typically fully open around the hour of midnight, but the bloom only lasts for the night until the rising sun leaves the flower wilted and dying.
Other Night Bloomers
Additional flowers that begin to bloom after the sun sets include Evening Primrose, Four O'Clocks and Daylilies. Although the hours of blooming may vary for these species, their beauty and unusual late day activity are intriguing to many home gardeners and flower enthusiasts. Evening Primrose are sweetly scented blossoms of pink, white and bright yellow that open each evening, while Four O'Clocks feature colorful trumpet-shaped flowers that typically begin to open around 4:00 p.m. Daylilies typically open in the cooler evening hours as well, and they are named Daylilies because each bloom lasts only the course of one day.
- Photo Credit twelve midnight image by Jason Murillo from Fotolia.com moon image by Sebastian Glapinski from Fotolia.com night flowers image by ELEN from Fotolia.com sunrise image by wilmar huisman from Fotolia.com Daylily image by jun zhou from Fotolia.com
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