Accession Data:
Selenicereus wittii (K.Schum.) G.D.Rowley
- Common Name: Moonflower
- Family: Cactaceae Juss.
- Synonym(s): Strophocactus wittii (K.Schum.) Britton & Rose
- Country of Origin: Brazil
- Habitat: Igapó swamp forests
- Description: This epiphyte climbs appressed to tree trunks with leaf-like, flattened stems and is found exclusively along the high waterline of black water rivers (Rio Negro, Vaup&, Apaporis) in the Igapo inundation forests of Amazonia. Ecophysiologically, S. wittii is a crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) plant. It bears white, nocturnal flowers 25 cm in length which emit a fragrance consisting mainly of benzylalcohol, benzyl benzoate, and benzyl salicylate. They exhibit an extreme sphingophilous syndrome as an adaptation to pollination by probably only two species of hawkmoth from the genera Amphimoena and Cocytius. The seeds, aberrant for the family, contain air-filled chambers and are water-dispersed. Thus, S. wittii represents the paradoxical life form of an hydrochorous epiphytic cactus which withstands periodical inundation.4
- USDA Zone: 10a-11
Accession Data:
- Accession # 200800139
- Source: Chad Husby - FIU
- Provenance:
Propagated vegetatively from Marie Selby BG accession 1978-2001: LOCATION: Brazil, Amazonas, Rio Curicuriari COLLECTOR: Madison, Kennedy
- Accession Date: 09-09-2008
- Bench: 3307 - NEOB: Bromeliad Island
- Currently: active - healthy
- Qty: 1 confirmed on 03-15-2024
- Restrictions:
- CITES Appendix II Listed Plant
- Distribution Agreement (CBD or similar) - Plants do not leave Greenhouse/TLS w/o Manager approval!
- CITES Appendix II Listed Plant
Classification:
- Division: Magnoliophyta
- Class: Magnoliopsida
- SubClass: core eudicots
- Order: Caryophyllales
- SubOrder:
- Family: Cactaceae
- SubFamily: Cactoideae
- Tribe: Phyllocacteae
- SubTribe: Hylocereinae
Flowering Data:
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References (internal):
- EEB Greenhouse Holdings native to: Colombia / Peru / Brazil North
References (external):
- Margaret Mee and the Moonflower. Last accessed on Tuesday, November 14, 2017.
- Margaret Mee and the Moonflower at Kew. Last accessed on Tuesday, November 14, 2017.
- The Plant List (2013). Version 1.1. Last accessed on Tuesday, November 14, 2017.
- Wilhelm Barthlott, Stefan Porembski, Manfred Kluge, Jörn Hopke, Loki Schmidt, Selenicereus wittii (Cactaceae): An epiphyte adapted to Amazonian Igapó inundation forests, Plant Systematics and Evolution 1997, Volume 206, Issue 1-4, pp 175-185.
- Bauer, R.. 2003. A synopsis of the tribe Hylocereeae F. Buxb. Cactaceae Systematics Initiatives 17: 3-63.
- Nicholson, R., The Moonflower, an Exceptional Cactus of the Amazon River in Botanic Garden News, The Botanic Garden of Smith College, Vol 13, No. 1, Spring 2010 pp 3-4. Last accessed on Wednesday, November 15, 2017.
- A Truly Bizarre Cactus From The Amazon at In Defense of Plants. Last accessed on Saturday, November 18, 2017.
- Images #00, #01 & #02 courtesy The Botanic Garden of Smith College. Used with permission.
data regenerated on Wed, 23 Apr 2025 10:27:24 -0400 [bcm v4.0]
Images:
Additional images for this accession:
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Current Accessions in the Cactaceae
Subfamily Cactoideae
Tribe Cacteae
- Ariocarpus fissuratus
- Astrophytum capricorne
- Astrophytum myriostigma
- Astrophytum ornatum W/C
- Coryphantha cornifera W/C
- Coryphantha difficilis
- Coryphantha maiz-tablasensis W/C
- Echinocactus grusonii
- Echinocactus texensis W/C
- Epithelantha micromeris W/C
- Escobaria vivipara W/C
- Ferocactus cylindraceus W/C
- Ferocactus echidne W/C
- Ferocactus glaucescens W/C
- Ferocactus glaucescens
- Ferocactus gracilis
- Ferocactus pilosus
- Leuchtenbergia principis
- Mammillaria bocasana
- Mammillaria bombycina
- Mammillaria compressa
- Mammillaria compressa
- Mammillaria glochidiata W/C
- Mammillaria gracilis ssp. minima
- Mammillaria gracilis ssp. minima
- Mammillaria hertrichiana W/C
- Mammillaria hertrichiana W/C
- Mammillaria magnimamma
- Mammillaria mystax
- Mammillaria parkinsonii W/C
- Mammillaria petterssonii W/C
- Mammillaria plumosa
- Mammillaria scheideana W/C
- Mammillaria uncinata W/C
- Mammilloydia candida W/C
- Ortegocactus macdougallii
- Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri
- Stenocactus crispatus W/C
- Stenocactus lamellosus W/C
- Thelocactus rinconensis W/C
- Turbinicarpus jauernigii
Subfamily Cactoideae
Tribe Cereeae
- Cereinae: Cereus forbesii
- Cereinae: Cereus hildmannianus W/C
- Cereinae: Cereus repandus
- Cereinae: Cereus repandus var. monstrosus
- Cereinae: Cipocereus bradei
- Cereinae: Disocactus flagelliformis
- Cereinae: Melocactus azureus
- Cereinae: Melocactus cf. disciformis
- Cereinae: Melocactus ernestii
- Cereinae: Melocactus intortus W/C
- Cereinae: Melocactus matanzanus
- Cereinae: Pilosocereus magnificus
- Cereinae: Pilosocereus pachycladus W/C
- Cereinae: Pilosocereus polygonus W/C
- Cereinae: Pilosocereus purpusii
- Cereinae: Pilosocereus sp.
- Rebutiinae: Browningia hertlingianus
- Rebutiinae: Gymnocalycium capillaense W/C
- Rebutiinae: Gymnocalycium gibbosum W/C
- Rebutiinae: Gymnocalycium monvillei ssp. achirasense W/C
- Rebutiinae: Gymnocalycium pflanzii W/C
- Rebutiinae: Gymnocalycium quehlianum W/C
- Rebutiinae: Rebutia minuscula W/C
- Rebutiinae: Uebelmannia pectinifera
- Trichocereinae: Acanthocalycium klimpelianum W/C
- Trichocereinae: Acanthocalycium klimpelianum W/C
- Trichocereinae: Cleistocactus baumannii ssp. santacruzensis
- Trichocereinae: Cleistocactus fieldianus W/C
- Trichocereinae: Cleistocactus strausii
- Trichocereinae: Discocactus placentiformis
- Trichocereinae: Echinopsis ancistrophora ssp. arachnacantha
- Trichocereinae: Echinopsis atacamensis W/C
- Trichocereinae: Echinopsis aurea W/C
- Trichocereinae: Echinopsis aurea
- Trichocereinae: Echinopsis aurea W/C
- Trichocereinae: Echinopsis calochlora
- Trichocereinae: Echinopsis camarguensis
- Trichocereinae: Echinopsis eyriesii
- Trichocereinae: Echinopsis subdenudata
- Trichocereinae: Echinopsis thionanthum W/C
- Trichocereinae: Espostoa ritteri W/C
- Trichocereinae: Espostoa senilis
- Trichocereinae: Haageocereus chryseus W/C
- Trichocereinae: Haageocereus salmonoides
- Trichocereinae: Harrisia regelii W/C
- Trichocereinae: Harrisia taetra W/C
- Trichocereinae: Lobivia pygmaea
- Trichocereinae: Matucana calliantha
- Trichocereinae: Matucana madisoniorum
- Trichocereinae: Oreocereus celsianus W/C
- Trichocereinae: Oreocereus cf. celsianus
- Trichocereinae: Trichocereus grandiflorus
- Trichocereinae: Weberbauerocereus rauhii W/C
Subfamily Cactoideae
Tribe Copiapoinae
- Copiapoa cinerea W/C
- Copiapoa cinerea var. haseltoniana
- Copiapoa coquimbana W/C
- Copiapoa echinoides W/C
- Copiapoa echinoides
- Copiapoa humilis
- Copiapoa hypogaea W/C
- Copiapoa laui W/C
- Copiapoa montana W/C
- Copiapoa montana
- Copiapoa unidentified
- Frailea cf. pygmaea
Subfamily Cactoideae
Tribe Notocacteae
- Neoporteriinae: Austrocactus spiniflorus
- Neoporteriinae: Eriosyce napina W/C
- Neoporteriinae: Eulychnia breviflora W/C
- Neoporteriinae: Eulychnia breviflora
- Neoporteriinae: Eulychnia saint-pieana
- Notocactinae: Parodia comarapana
- Notocactinae: Parodia formose var. prolifera
- Notocactinae: Parodia haselbergii ssp. haselbergii
- Notocactinae: Parodia leninghausii
- Notocactinae: Parodia magnifica
- Notocactinae: Parodia ottonis
Subfamily Cactoideae
Tribe Phyllocacteae
- Corryocactinae: Neoraimondia arequipensis W/C
- Echinocereinae: Acanthocereus tetragonus
- Echinocereinae: Carnegiea gigantea W/C
- Echinocereinae: Carnegiea gigantea
- Echinocereinae: Cephalocereus euphorbioides
- Echinocereinae: Cephalocereus quadricentralis W/C
- Echinocereinae: Cephalocereus senilis
- Echinocereinae: Echinocereus cinerascens W/C
- Echinocereinae: Echinocereus nivosus
- Echinocereinae: Echinocereus pentalophus
- Echinocereinae: Echinocereus scheeri ssp. scheeri W/C
- Echinocereinae: Echinocereus subinermis
- Echinocereinae: Echinocereus subinermis ssp. ochoterenae
- Echinocereinae: Escontria chiotilla
- Echinocereinae: Lophocereus sp.
- Echinocereinae: Lophocereus schottii
- Echinocereinae: Stenocereus humilis
- Echinocereinae: Stenocereus stellatus
- Hylocereinae: Epiphyllum hookeri subsp. guatemalense
- Hylocereinae: Epiphyllum oxypetalum
- Hylocereinae: Epiphyllum phyllanthus W/C
- Hylocereinae: Hylocereus costaricensis
- Hylocereinae: Pseudorhipsalis micrantha
- Hylocereinae: Selenicereus anthonyanus
- Hylocereinae: Selenicereus chrysocardium
- Hylocereinae: Selenicereus grandiflorus
- Hylocereinae: Selenicereus wittii W/C
Subfamily Cactoideae
Tribe Rhipsalideae
- Hatiora cylindrica
- Hatiora herminiae W/C
- Hatiora salicornioides
- Lepismium cf houlletianum
- Lepismium cruciforme
- Lepismium warmingianum
- Rhipsalis baccifera ssp. horrida
- Rhipsalis burchellii
- Rhipsalis cereuscula
- Rhipsalis cf rhombea
- Rhipsalis elliptica
- Rhipsalis juengeri
- Rhipsalis lorentziana W/C
- Rhipsalis mesembryanthemoides
- Rhipsalis oblonga
- Rhipsalis pachyptera
- Rhipsalis paradoxa
- Rhipsalis pentaptera
- Rhipsalis pilocarpa
- Rhipsalis teres
Subfamily Cactoideae
Tribe Trichocereeae
Subfamily Maihuenioideae
Subfamily Opuntioideae
Tribe Austrocylindropuntieae
Subfamily Opuntioideae
Tribe Cylindropuntieae
Subfamily Opuntioideae
Tribe Opuntieae
- Opuntia articulata
- Opuntia brasiliensis
- Opuntia fragilis
- Opuntia humifusa W/C
- Opuntia microdasys "Monstrose"
- Opuntia microdasys
- Opuntia microdasys var. lutea
- Opuntia microdasys ssp. rufida
- Opuntia picardoi
- Opuntia pycnantha
- Opuntia quitensis
- Opuntia schickendantzii
- Opuntia sp.
Subfamily Opuntioideae
Tribe Tephrocacteae
Subfamily Pereskioideae
Tribe Pereskieae
W/C = Wild Collected
= indicates flowering in past 14 days
= images available for this accession
= map available for this accession
= accession added within past 90 days