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Definition of night blooming cereus

night blooming cereus

Plural:night blooming cereuses
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• noun

1

Any of several species of climbing or sprawling cacti native to the Americas that produce large, highly fragrant white flowers which open only after dark and typically wither by morning.

Example

"The botanical conservatory stayed open late so visitors could witness the rare, fleeting display of the night blooming cereus."

2

The large, showy, and heavily scented flower of such a cactus.

Example

"She carefully photographed the delicate petals of the night blooming cereus just moments before the sun rose."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for night blooming cereus

Word Nuance & Usage

Often hyphenated as 'night-blooming cereus', this common name does not refer to a single species but is widely applied to several distinct genera of cacti that share the trait of flowering only after dark.

• Nearby Words

nigh
night
night adder
night blooming cereus
night blooming jasmine
night class
night lizard

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Night blooming cereus. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/night-blooming-cereus
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