The magical beauty of the Princess of the Night cactus plant (Selenicereus pteranthus) is quite amazing. When we purchased our Sanibel Island home in October 2020, this vine-like cactus had taken over the entire trunk of one of our cabbage palm trees. It is a very interesting Florida native plant specimen that we quickly grew to love. We were happy to see one also growing in our backyard as well.
Large vining Princess of the Night Cactus during the day
We researched the cactus and learned it would produce flowers, but being new residents, we didn’t know exactly when. Then one day in early May 2021, while doing some weeding around the area, I noticed little tiny fuzzy buds starting to form all over the cactus.
Early buds of a Princess of the Night Cactus
Over the month of May the buds grew, and grew, and grew until one dark night, after arriving home from the grocery store, I stopped in my tracks as I noticed one of the buds finally opened up.
The buds about to open on a Princess of the Night cactus
It was a large, gorgeous and fragrant bloom. I carried in my groceries, then spent some time outside viewing it. The white portion of the flower reminds me of a magnolia bloom. Each bud only opens once at night, then dies.
Here’s a 30 second video I captured of the bloom via my Pinterest page @carolynjbraden:
Large Flower of a Princess of the Night Cactus
My husband shined a flashlight over the bloom so I could capture a shot of this magnificent flower. The cactus is full of blooms that will continue to open in random order on our May and June nights. It’s something we’ll always look forward to seeing this time of year, every year.
Bloom of the Princess of the Night Cactus