Night Blooming Cereus Red , Epiphyllum Oxypetalum

Epiphyllum oxypetalum is commonly called "Night Blooming Cereus". At one time the botanical name was Cereus now it is an Epiphyllum. This is an old heirloom plant that has large white flowers that open at night. Each flower is open for only one night. Sometimes the growers of this plant will have a party and stay up late to watch the flowers open. It is very dramatic. It makes a large plant 2 to 4 feet across. Easy to grow. 

Light: While these cactuses appreciate going outside when the weather is nice, they can still get sunburned or scorched if you leave them in direct sunlight. If you move your indoor Cereus outside for the summer like I do, find it a spot with filtered light so that it doesn’t get sunburned. Inside, an area with bright indirect light such as near a southern or western exposure window is a good choice for them.

Watering: They don’t require as much water as some of our leafy tropical plants. I allow mine to dry out between watering, and then give it a good soak. Mine dries out fairly swiftly due to its placement in my house and the fact that it’s kept in terra cotta. Your watering schedule will ultimately depend on your environment (arid or humid), type of pot, amount of light, etc. Just don’t let them sit in soggy soil! In fall and winter, water less than during the growing season, and in mid-winter you can stop watering for about a month before resuming a normal watering scheduled.