The bloom of night's maiden

[mpenarandaa]

My Dutchman's-Pipe Cactus (Epiphyllum oxypetalum) finally bloomed after a two months wait!

This is an endemic plant of Costa Rica, perennial, fleshy, with stuck thorny leaves of green color and with white flowers. The flowers start opening with dusk, ream through the night and die with dawn.

This is the same plant that bloomed right on time for the DPS assignment 2009 05 20: Ghetto Lighting. To be honest, I feel the shots I got for this assignment are of my best ones. The plant bloomed again two months after, so, here are some new pictures.

This is how the plant looks like:


Ok, I am sticking to ghetto lighting, it gives such a dramatic feeling to this flowers!


The same one, a bit closer:

[Chewys Dad]

This is a beautiful Cactus in full bloom! It blooms only at night you say? Does it have any scent? You have done a wonderful job of presenting this to us.
Thank you for Sharing these
Michael

[flavio]

Awsome flowers.
I was very impressed by the second photograph.
Good job!

[Gonzo13]

I agree with the dramatic lighting. They really only bloom at night and wilt at dusk. That seems like a great flower to take a time lapse of. I dig the 3rd one the most.

My 400th post.

[Heaterguy]

Very well done. I like the contrast of the second one.

[leonaashlee]

Another one night wonder like ours here in the desert. It's beautiful...sad that they're so short lived. Lovely shots of it....worth the wait.

[Ella1267]

I love the second photo. Very close to the cactus we have in Tucson. Blooms only once a year at night and dies in the morning. Angella

[fstopMike]

Exquisite photos and a genuinely interesting plant. Thanks for sharing something I never would have seen had it not been for DPS

[mpenarandaa]

Thank you all for stopping by and for kind comments. I am really glad that you enjoyed the pictures, I love shooting this plant, it is so relaxing... and yes it has a really nice and fresh scent.
I felt kind of melancholic this morning when I saw the dead flowers ...