PlantFiles: Moon Cactus, Queen of the Night, Fish-bone Cactus, Rick-Rack Cactus
Epiphyllum anguliger

Originally on Sep 23, 2008, RxBenson from Whiting, NJ wrote:
"Christine," as I call my E. anguliger (as in the pop star -- yuk yuk), took a couple of years to decide to grow and bloom from a small plant from a New England mail-order nursery. I was led to believe that she was a fall bloomer and indeed she was the first year. Now she blooms twice a year, in waves of about two weeks each. Spring and fall -- mid day length. We're in southern NJ.

She spends the winter in full southeastern sun in my sunroom and the summer May-Sept hanging in dappled shade on a bough of a yellow pine -- where it flowers like crazy with the right day length. Fertilization is haphazard and usually fish emulsion. This summer I "abandoned" many of my green children, neglecting to water them throughout a drought here in NJ, but fortunately the dew was a life-saver for Christine.

I want to disagree with the previous comment that this species sets fruit only in the tropics -- in fact I was visiting Dave's today with the single purpose of asking if anyone knows how to store seed from this plant! I have uploaded a photo of this fall's new fruit, not yet plump. The fruits are egg-shaped translucent light green -- like non-fuzzy kiwi fruit. In fact, inside they are also similar in that the seeds each have a gelatinous coating. It is that coating that baffles me when I try to figure out how to store them. In many instances removing such a coating destroys some enymes or hydrating aid that is vital to the seed's germination. In other instances it's safe to scrub them clean. I just don't know which is the case for Christine. (Just curious, as this is not a hybridization project and I can always root cuttings.)

I leave the fruits on the plant for long periods. The ones I harvested today were a year old. They stay plump and healthy as long as "fed" by the plant. They rot easily -- and attract pesky teeny flies -- when harvested... so best to decide what your plans are for them.

BTW-- the fragrance is very magnolia-like. You can allow the local insects to pollinate outdoors -- or use a small camel-hair art brush to become a human honey bee yourself. Transfer pollen to other blooms, not just on a single flower. Whereas my Xmas cactus fruits turn a pretty decorative pink, Christine's stay green and so aren't all that much of an addition to the plant's appearance -- but you can still amaze your friends with the "spectacle"!

Help me , seed collectors!