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.

Orchid see, orchid do.

That's right. Despite their uncanny resemblance to some baboons, these are actually two distinct types of orchids: Dracula simia and Dracula anthracina.

According to the University of British Columbia's Botanical Garden and Centre For Plant Research, Dracula simia translates to "little dragon monkey." It was named in 1978 and grows between 3,280 and 6,560 feet above sea level in forests in southeast Ecuador. Its name comes in part from its cape and fang-like resemblance, evocative of the Count Dracula character from the Bram Stoker classic.

Eeerkia Schulz, a 57-year-old amateur photographer, snapped these photos at the Gardens of Herrenhausen flower show in Hanover, Germany.

"When I found these flowers I couldn't believe how much they looked like monkeys," Schulz said, according to Caters News Agency. "I can't believe how lovely they are and everyone that I show pictures of them to are instantly surprised just like me."

Nature doesn’t need an audience. These wonderful orchids come from the south-eastern Ecuadorian and Peruvian cloud forests from elevations of 1000 to 2000 meters and as such not many people throughout history got to see them. However, thanks to intrepid collectors we do get to see this wonderful Monkey Orchid. Someone didn’t need much imagination to name it though, let’s face it.

Its scientific name is Dracula simia, the last part nodding towards the fact that this remarkable orchid bears more than a passing resemblance to a monkey’s face – although we won’t go as far as to be species specific on this one. The Dracula (genus) part of its name refers to the strange characteristic of the two long spurs of the sepals, reminiscent of the fangs of a certain Transylvanian count of film and fiction fame. (Source)

Lupine is poisonous.When this plant was named, people thought that both the wolf and the plant killed livestock.

Although lupine is poisonous, it is an important part of a healthy habitat. After a forest fire, Lupine grows rapidly and puts vitamins and nutrients back into the soil. This helps the forest grow!




The yellow legume seeds of lupins, commonly called lupin beans, were popular with the Romans, who spread the plant's cultivation throughout the Roman Empire; hence common names like lupini in Romance languages. The name 'Lupin' derives from the Latin word lupinus (meaning wolf), and was given with regard to the fact that many found that the plant has a tendency to ravage the land on which it grows. The peas, which appear after the flowering period were also said to be fit only for the consumption of wolves. Lupin beans are commonly sold in a salty solution in jars (like olives and pickles) and can be eaten with or without the skin.

Lupini dishes are most commonly found in Mediterranean countries, especially in Portugal, Egypt, and Italy, and also in Brazil. In Portugal, Spain and the Spanish Harlem they are popularly consumed with beer. In Lebanon, salty and chilled Lupini Beans are called "Termos" and are served pre-meal as part of an aperitif. The Andean variety of this bean is from the Andean Lupin (tarwi, L. mutabilis) and was a widespread food in the Incan Empire. The Andean Lupin and the Mediterranean L. albus (White Lupin), L. angustifolius (Blue Lupin), and Lupinus hirsutus are also edible after soaking the seeds for some days in salted water.Lupins were also used

by Native Americans in North America, e.g., the Yavapai people. Lupins are known as altramuz in Spain and Argentina. In Portuguese the lupin beans are known as tremoços, and in Antalya (Turkey) as tirmis Edible lupins are referred to as sweet lupins because they contain smaller amounts of toxic alkaloids than the bitter lupin varieties. Newly bred variants of sweet lupins are grown extensively in Germany; they lack any bitter taste and require no soaking in salt solution. The seeds are used for different foods from vegan sausages to lupin-tofu or baking-enhancing lupin flour. (Source Wikipedia)

Remember! Spare a flower, share a flower! If you pick a flower, no one else can enjoy its beauty.