Rare moonflower blossomed in Cambridge

Phe livestream people around the world have watched a rare plant bloom in the botanical gardens of Cambridge University in the UK.  The  “Selenicereus wittii”, also called the moon flower, surprisingly bloomed for a few hours on Saturday afternoon, as could be seen on the side of the botanical garden.

Thousands of people from all over the world had already tuned in over the week so as not to miss the rare event.  The  flowering phase had already been eagerly awaited by botany fans, as it is said to have been the first time the cactus plant from the Amazon region in Great Britain has flowered.

 The  blooming phase was actually expected for one night, i.e. between sunset and sunrise, which is why the botanical garden had already put a night watch during the week. “It was worth the wait, what a beauty! Our moonflower has opened and the scent is divine – similar to gardenia and jasmine at the moment, but it will turn into rotten vegetables, ”the garden wrote on its Instagram channel.  The  change in smell is considered typical of the plant.

According to the information from Cambridge, plant species is only cultivated in 13 botanical gardens worldwide. “So far we know little about the moon flower”, the director Professor Beverley Glover is quoted on the homepage of the botanical garden. She has collected a few tepals that she now wants to examine under the microscope to learn more about the plant.

 The  moon flower comes from the tropical rainforests of Brazil, as it says on the homepage. It only blooms once, usually in May in the wild. In European greenhouses, flowering often takes place between November and February.