Kundapur: 'Night Queen' in Full Bloom Provides Rare Visual Treat
Aishwarya Beejady
Daijiworld Media Network - Kundapur (RD/CN)
Kundapur, Aug 4: The rare ‘Night Queen’, also known as 'Dutchman's Pipe' or 'Nishagandhi' or 'Gul-e-Bakawali' bloomed in the garden of SKDRDP employee Naveen A here on the night of Tuesday August 2.
About 14 of these magnificent flowers were in full bloom in his garden, providing a rare visual treat.
It’s a rare phenomenon indeed, because the flower takes a year to bloom, and blooms only at night. It withers by dawn.
It's botanical name is Epiphyllum oxypetalum, a species of cactus and is a variety of nightblooming Cereus.
It is often confused with Brahma Kamala (Saussurea obvallata), a species of flowering plant named after Brahma, the Hindu god of creation. This flower is native to the Himalayas.
However, in the local dialect, the Night Queen is also commonly known as Brahma Kamala.