Epiphyllum oxypetalum, the Dutchman’s pipe cactus or better known as Queen of the Night, is a species of cactus that is native to Southern Mexico and to extensive areas of South America. It is widely cultivated, with many newer cultivations in tropical areas, especially in southeast Asia. The plant is sometimes referred to by its Chinese name, tan hua. 

The Queen of the Night is a rare type of flower that blooms only one night a year. It is a rare sight to see the flower of Queen of the Night in full bloom as it wilts before dawn. We were very lucky at the BU Greenhouse that we were able to capture the blooming of several of the flowers of the Queen of the Night on video this year:

The white flowers appear in late spring through late summer, and although they only flower one night, large specimens can produce several crops of flowers in one season. The Queen of the Night is famous for its magnificent, very fragrant scent (resembling magnolias) for which the principal odor components in the aroma are benzyl salicylate and methyl linoleate.

The specimen in the BU Sustainability Lab was originally obtained from President Mary Hawkins. Lab manager Julian Ramirez was able to propagate several plants from this original donation over the past years, and now we had several blooming this year. According to Julian: “These cacti have to have the right amount of light, temperature, humidity, watering and nutrients to bloom, so we must have a happy plant!”

This unusual flowering behavior is primarily to attract nocturnal pollinators like bats and moths. This adaptation is considered a “pollination syndrome” where the plant’s genetics have evolved to coincide with the activity patterns of its pollinators. The plant’s genetics control the timing of flower opening, ensuring it blooms only at night when its primary pollinators are active. Unfortunately, there isn’t much known about the genetics and genomics of this fascinating plant and blooming pattern. In order to elucidate some of the genetic controls, the BU science team started sequencing the Queen of the Night (Epiphyllum oxypetalum) and recently obtained a complete chloroplast genome sequence.

“This allows us to help clarify the phylogenetic placement and evolution of this plant, and with further sequencing and genomic data analysis, we might obtain a better genetic and biochemical understanding of the plants unique behaviour” according to Dr. John Kyndt.

The further sequencing and data analysis of Epiphyllum oxypetalum, and also other plants that are native to Nebraska, is an ongoing project at the BU Natural Sciences. If you are interested in joining these project as student or collaborator, please feel free to reach out to Dr. John Kyndt or Julian Ramirez.