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Southland Times, Issue 1564, 16 April 1872, Page 2

Night Floweeing Cactus. — We had an opportunity the other evening of seeing this rare and exquisitely beautiful plant in flowerin one of the conservatories of Mr Prince of Craigend. This cereus is well named grandifl>ra, for its blooms are truly magnificent, and the rich aromatic fragrance which they exhale is delicious. The plant is so uncommon, even in the best collections, that whenever it is in flower all who have an opportunity make a pilgrimage to it, candle in hand ; and the effulgence which the gardener's " dip " revealed the other night was certainly worth a pilgrimage to see. There were seven flowers of this noble Jamaican species of cereus " out," and the surrounding darkness no doubt added a fine contrast to the deep orange and snow-white colors of the bloom. The flower begins to open at sunset, and ia fully expanded by 10 o'clock. At sunrise it begins to fade, and by 8 o'clock its delicate beauty has quite disappeared before the splendour of the day. The tube of the flower is from eight to ten inches in length, is densely coated with scales and long silky white hairs, with a few sharp prickles at the base — which may serve to remind one that it belongs to the cactus family. " Then comes the calyx or bracts, forming a starry-like ray, surrounding the flower to the number of about eighty. They are of a light brown color on the back, and a bright orange on the inner side, the diameter of the ray being from ten to twelve inches. The petals number about thirty. The long silvery thread-like stamens number about five hundred, and each of them may be said to be surmounted with a coronet of gold. In the centre of the corolla is the pistil, with its transparently white style springing up from the base of the tube. The plant which produces these gorgeous flowers is of very uuassuming appearance, and may be compared to a clothes-line rather than anything else, for it has neither leaf nor bract. It may be' said to be almost independent of roots; for it will live for a considerable time, and even flower without them if suspended in the air by a piece of string. — S. M, Sei'ald.