It’s been an annual tradition for the Andersens, patiently waiting the arrival of their blooming Cereus plant.
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ROCHELLE — It’s been an annual tradition for the Andersens, patiently waiting the arrival of their blooming Cereus plant.
The night bloomer, housed in their greenhouse, only shows its beauty once a year for one night and for years Ann and Neil have documented the single blossom.
What makes this a rarity is the flower is generally not seen in these parts of the country. The plant, also known as the “Queen of the Night,” is typically found in deserts of Arizona, Texas, and northern Mexico with blossoms up to four inches wide.
This year the Andersens were pleasantly surprised when the night-blooming Cereus produced eight blossoms.
“Neil looked at the plant one day and noticed there were tons of blooms on the plant,” Ann said. “We’ve never had that many blooms on them.”
The Andersens believe the plant is over 30 years old. For flower enthusiasts, the Andersens struck gold with the multiple blossoms, making for a hot topic with friends and members of the Rochelle Garden Club.
“It’s something you don’t see. I just couldn’t believe it, it was magnificent,” Ann said. “We are trying to attribute why we had so many blooms this year.”
The only difference this year from past years, Ann said, is waiting a little longer to put a shade cloth over the top of the greenhouse due to a chillier spring. The plant, which is about eight feet tall and has several branches, still sits in the same pot it arrived in when the Andersens received it.
According to an article about the night blooming cereus on Desert USA.com, Native Americans used the tuberous, turnip-like root as a food source.