A little wonder, every day

The nocturnal scent of a particular cactus

Документальне зображення квітки Epiphyllum oxypetalum; саме фото не вимірює силу запаху / Documentary image of an Epiphyllum oxypetalum flower; the image does not measure scent intensity. Credit: Author unknown; CC BY-SA 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=2254105

Культивований Epiphyllum oxypetalum у Гайдарабаді; окремий екземпляр, не зразок біохімічного дослідження / Cultivated Epiphyllum oxypetalum in Hyderabad; a separate specimen, not a sample from the biochemical study. Credit: Rajasekhar1961; CC0. http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=173566140

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Документальне зображення квітки Epiphyllum oxypetalum; саме фото не вимірює силу запаху / Documentary image of an Epiphyllum oxypetalum flower; the image does not measure scent intensity. Credit: Author unknown; CC BY-SA 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=2254105

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Epiphyllum oxypetalum, a cactus often called queen of the night, opens large fragrant flowers at night; each flower is short-lived. A 2025 study found a sharp increase in volatile scent emissions during nocturnal blooming. This claim concerns a particular species: common names such as queen of the night can refer to different plants. Night blooming alone does not establish the same scent intensity or composition in every nocturnal flower.