A rare and exotic cactus from the Amazon rainforest is set to flower for the first time in the United Kingdom at the Cambridge University Botanical Garden. But here's the catch: it only blooms once for 12 hours before it dies.
The moonflower, or scientifically known as Selenicereus wittii, thrives in the flood-prone Amazon basin and weaves itself around the other trees using its pad-like leaves. Its flowering process that lasts for less than 12 hours occurs overnight, so botanists anticipate its flowering event in the UK.
The botanists at the Cambridge University Botanical Garden were able to spot a bud from the rare cactus last week and said that it would bloom in the next few days.
It is said that the scent of the flower of this rare cactus is similar to the perfume of the pop star Rihanna. Experts said that the flower's aroma could last for a couple of hours before the flower wilts and dies.
The Amazon's Moonflower Set to Bloom in the UK
CUBG Glasshouse Supervisor Alex Summers is responsible for the growth and nurturing of this rare and exotic cactus. He said that he is very much excited to see and share the cactus's most unusual flowering and believes that this will be the first time the Moonflower has flowered in the UK.
Being an epiphyte, the Moonflower relies on another plat as an anchor point. Summers has noted its leaves swirling around the Water Chestnut trunk in the botanical garden that has grown so much since November and had sent out a flower bud.
Unlike the common cactus, the Moonflower leaves are flat and smooth, helping them swirl their way to their host tree's trunk. It lives near the flood-prone area of the Amazon rainforest, so its leaves' mechanism helps them survive.
According to Cambridge University, this will help them disperse their seeds when the petals fell off and allow the seeds to float and find another tree crevice to lodge and grow in.
ALSO READ : How Do Plants Sense Attacks from Herbivores?
A Flower that Smells Like Rihanna's Perfume
MailOnline reported that when the flower finally blooms, it will emit a sweet-smelling fragrance described by nature writer and broadcaster Richard Mabey as similar to Rihanna's perfume.
It will last for two hours to attract the night flying hawkmoth. But after that, its scent will change to a more rancid smell before it finally closes up for good before sunrise.
As this will be the first time that it will bloom in the UK, botanists at the Cambridge University Botanical Garden are unsure of what the "off" odor will smell like. But they believe it will somewhat smell like the rotting flesh as it was with Amorphophallus titanum and Rafflesia arnoldii.
Below is the live streaming of the Moonflower blooming in the CUBG:
Check out more news and information on Plants on Science Times.
