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

: 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

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

: 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.

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web 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 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.

Heather Arndt Anderson, Sunset Magazine, 17 Jan. 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 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'night-blooming cereus.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

First Known Use

1799, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of night-blooming cereus was in 1799

See more words from the same year

Dictionary Entries Near night-blooming cereus

night blindness

night-blooming cereus

night blue

See More Nearby Entries

Cite this Entry

Style

“Night-blooming cereus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/night-blooming%20cereus. Accessed 7 Dec. 2022.

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