In 1909, C. A. Purpus collected a slightly different type in St. Ana, Orizaba, Mexico. It has carmine red outer petals and the flowers have an unpleasant smell, rather than being fragrant.

It was originally named Phyllocactus purpusii, but does probably not deserve any botanical recognition. The Chinese chengyu (four character idiom)(tan hua yi xian) uses this flower (tan-hua;) to describe someone who has an impressive but very brief moment of glory, like a "flash in a pan", since the flower can take a year to bloom and only blooms over a single night.

Therefore someone described as "曇花一現" is generally understood to be a person who shows off or unexpectedly gains some achievement and is thought to be an exception or only lucky. The flower also has a rich history in Japan, where it is known as the (Gekka Bijin) or "Beauty under the Moon"

It can be found from Mexico to Venezuela, as well as Brazil. It also can be found, cultivated in parts of America with warmer temperature such as Texas or California. Epiphytic or lithophytic. 75-2.000 m alt. Widely cultivated and escaped in many places and its true origin has never been fully understood. Linked to the Legend of "BAKAWALI" in most S.E. Asian countries.

An easily cultivated, fast growing Epiphyllum . It needs compost containing plenty of humus and sufficient moisture in summer. It should not be kept under 10°C (50°F) in winter. It can be grown in semi-shade or full sun. Extra light in the early spring will stimulate budding. It flowers in late spring or early summer; large specimens can produce several crops of flowers in a season. This is the most commonly grown of the Epiphyllum species, and it is known under several common names including Night-blooming Cereus, Dutchman's Pipe, Queen of the Night, Wijaya Kusuma (Indonesian), (Nishagandhi in Hindi and Marathi), Gul-e-Bakavali (in Urdu) and (Kadupul in Sinhala).

Stems erect, ascending, scandent or sprawling, profusely branched, primary stems terete, to 2--6 m long, flattened laterally, ligneous at base, secondary stems flat, elliptic-acuminate, to 30 cm x 10--12 cm, thin; margins shallowly to deeply crenate and ± undulate. Flowers produced from flattened portions, to 30 cm long, 12--17 cm wide, nocturnal, very fragrant.


The principal odor component in the aroma is benzyl salicylate; pericarpel nude, slightly angled, green, bracteoles short; receptacle 13--20 cm long, 1 cm thick, brownish, arching, bracteoles narrow, ca 10 mm long; outer tepals linear, acute, 8--10 cm long reddish to amber; inner tepals oblanceolate to oblong, acuminate, to 8--10 cm long and 2,5 cm wide, whitish; stamens greenish white or white, slender and weak; style greenish white or white, 4 mm thick, as long as inner tepals, lobes many, pale yellow or white. Fruit oblong, 12 x 8 cm, purplish red, angled.