Arizona Wild Flowers
Wildflower Pictures And Photos

Arizona Night Blooming Cereus Cactus, Peniocereus greggii

Arizona Night Blooming Cereus Cactus, Peniocereus greggii February 15, 2006 We Will Follow The Bloom Cycle Of This Plant, See Below!

Arizona Queen of the Night Peniocereus greggii Branch Thorns	Arizona Night Blooming Cereus Cactus Peniocereus greggii Thorns
Arizona Queen of the Night Peniocereus greggii Terminal Branch	Arizona Night Blooming Cereus Cactus Peniocereus greggii Trunk
Arizona Queen of the Night May 24, 2006 Flower Buds Flowers Bloom In About 3 Weeks	Arizona Night Blooming Cereus Cactus May 24, 2006 Flower Buds Flowers Bloom In About 3 Weeks
Arizona Queen of the Night June 14, 2006 Flower Stalks Flowers Should Bloom Tonight!	Arizona Night Blooming Cereus Cactus June 14, 2006 Flower Stalks Flowers Should Bloom Tonight!
Arizona Queen of the Night June 14, 2006 Flower Stalks Flowers Should Bloom Tonight! Note: Petals Starting To Emerge	Arizona Night Blooming Cereus Cactus June 14, 2006 Flower Stalks Flowers Should Bloom Tonight! Note: Petals Starting To Emerge
It's Blooming! June 14, 2006 8:51 PM. Arizona Queen of the Night Peniocereus greggii	Blossom Opening! June 14, 2006 9:31 PM. Arizona Night Blooming Cereus Cactus Peniocereus greggii
Arizona Queen of the Night June 14, 2006 8:51 PM.	Arizona Night Blooming Cereus Cactus June 14, 2006 8:54 PM.
Arizona Queen of the Night June 14, 2006 9:29 PM.	Arizona Night Blooming Cereus Cactus June 14, 2006 9:32 PM.
Arizona Queen of the Night June 14, 2006 10:44 PM.	Arizona Night Blooming Cereus Cactus June 14, 2006 10:45 PM.
Desert Night Blooming Cereus Cactus Other Peniocereus greggii Flowers Taken June 16, 2005	Arizona Night Blooming Cereus Cactus Other Peniocereus greggii Flower Taken June 16, 2005

Arizona Night Blooming Cereus Cactus Peniocereus greggii, Cactus Family ( Cactaceae ), Arizona Night Blooming Cereus Cactus. Also called: Arizona Queen of the Night or Desert Night Blooming Cereus. Arizona or Desert night-blooming cereus, a perennial cactus that typically resembles a dead stick having from one to serveral stems arising from a single, very large tuberous root. As such, it is rarely noticed in the desert. Over the last few years as development of desert areas has increased in Phoenix and Tucson, these plants and their habitat have been destroyed. Peniocereus greggii is frequently called "Arizona Queen of the Night", however; the real "queen of the night" is Selenicereus grandiflorus. The Arizona Night Blooming Cereus Cactus has thin stems and a large underground tuber that can reach 100 pounds. Typically, they are about 15 - 25 pounds. Height: Up To 1 to 10 feet Tall. Flowers: White, strongly scented, about 4-inch-wide flowers bloom during June. Near the ends of its branches, developing at the end of a slender, long purplish-brown tube from an individual areole, the blossoms open during the early desert evening about sunset. The time for the flower to bloom is about 2 1/2 to 3 hours. They close again by the next morning sunrise. Blooming Time: May - June. Mid June in the Tucson and Phoenix area. Stem: From 1/2 - 1 inch in diameter consisting of an interior framework of about 4 to 6 woody ribs supporting the spongy tissue. The elliptical areoles are closely set with blackish spines; 1or 2 centrals about 2 mm long; with 6 to 9 conical radials. Fruit: The fruit is up to 3 inches long, red-orange, ovoid, with black seeds. Leaves: Cactus thorns are modified leaves. Their shape conserves water and adds protection to the cactus plant. Found: Sonoran Desert of Arizona. Especially Pima, Yuma Counties. Northern Sonora, Mexico. Primarily in Sonoran desertscrub in central regions of the Arizona, in areas where Larrea tridentata is found. Elevation: 2,000 - 4,000 Feet. Habitat: Desert slopes and flats, rocky bajadas. The Arizona Night Blooming Cereus Cactus begins life under a "nurse" plant, typically a desert scrub, palo verde or mesquite tree. The scrub or tree provides shade and increased water availability during the summer, and protects it from winter frosts. Miscellaneous: Photos Taken Glendale Xeriscape Garden. February 15, 2006. Flowers June 16, 2005. Blossom Sequence June 14, 2006. Bloom Sequence photos have a redish color to them due to a bright redish light in the park where the photos were taken.