night-blooming cereus

noun

night-bloom·​ing cereus ˈnīt-ˌblü-miŋ- 

plural night-blooming cereus or night-blooming cereuses

: any of several cacti with usually large, white, fragrant, night-blooming flowers: such as

a

: a sprawling or climbing cactus (Selenicereus grandiflorus) found from Mexico to South America that has spiny, ribbed stems and pink to whitish spiny fruits

b

: an erect or sprawling slender-stemmed, thorny cactus (Peniocereus greggii synonym Cereus greggii) that is native to the southwestern U.S. and adjacent parts of northern Mexico and has spiny red fruits

c

: any of several cacti (genus Hylocereus) including one (H. undatus) cultivated especially for its usually pink- or red-skinned fruit see dragon fruit

d

: an epiphytic cactus (Epiphyllum oxypetalum) of Mexico and Central America that has flattened, leaflike stems with wavy edges and is often grown as a houseplant or garden plant

Note: The cacti known as night-blooming cereus are also known as Queens of the Night.

Examples of night-blooming cereus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Rubber trees and night-blooming cereus grew in the cracks. —Kristina Linnea Garcia, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Mar. 2024

Tohono Chul botanical gardens, with the largest collection of night-blooming cereus in the world. —Emily Matchar, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Feb. 2020

To wit: after dark, the fragrance of night-blooming cereus and evening primrose dance with the aromas of acacia, creosote bush, mesquite, and chia to create the most inebriating olfactory cocktail. —Heather Arndt Anderson, Sunset Magazine, 17 Jan. 2020

For 364 nights a year, the night-blooming cereus looks like a withered cactus. —Emily Matchar, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Feb. 2020

Catch the annual show at Tucson’s Tohono Chul botanical gardens, with the largest collection of night-blooming cereus in the world. —Emily Matchar, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Feb. 2020

Word History

First Known Use

1799, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

night-blooming cereus

noun

night-bloom·​ing ce·​re·​us

ˌnīt-ˌblüm-iŋ-ˈsir-ē-əs

: any of several cacti that bloom at night

especially : a slender spreading or climbing cactus often grown for its large showy fragrant white flowers