NIGHT-BLOOMING CEREUS

also called Moon Cactus (genus Selenicereus), any member of a group of about 20 species of cacti in the family Cactaceae. The plants are native to tropical and subtropical America, including the West Indies. They are widely grown in suitable American climates and have escaped from cultivation. The genus is known for its large, usually fragrant, night-blooming white flowers, which are among the largest in the cactus family. Some species clamber along the ground; others cling with aerial roots to trees and other objects. The queen-of-the-night (S. grandiflorus), the popular night-blooming cereus, is often grown indoors. Stems are ribbed, angled, or flattened. S. hamatus has backward-projecting lobes that aid clinging.