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Rare and exotic plants
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This is a close look at the fascinating Strophocactus wittii - the Amazon Moonflower. This unusual cactus presses itself flat against trees in swamps of the Amazon basin, and often grows submerged during floods! This is the only cactus species that spreads its seeds via rivers. Its super-long blooms can get over 10 inches long and are strongly fragrant. But even without blooms, it's a fun plant to grow due it's odd, shingle-like growth, which turns a beautiful purple or red in bright light. If you can meet its basic needs - warmth and humidity - it's not too difficult to grow. It is pretty rare in cultivation and seldom seen for sale. Growing in the wild This epiphytic plant makes very thin, flat segments of stems or "pads" that are usually about 8-15 inches long and 3-4 inches wide. Each pad can make several offshoots, most of which wrap themselves around a tree for support and nutrients, but some pads flop outward. They have bristly spines along their edge. The plant can bloom twice a year if conditions are right. The blossoms open in the evening and are bright white, hence the name "moonflower". The 4 inch wide flowers are so long that only two creatures are capable of pollinating it - two species of moths with a "tongue" about 10 inches long! The blooms stay open for about 12 hours, starting with a jasmine-like scent before changing to a foul odor for some reason. The plant is happiest with daytime temperatures above 80 degrees F. To achieve this, you can grow it in a terrarium or other container, with a simple reptile heater mat underneath for warmth. While it normally grows upward, you can tie the pads horizontally if you don't have much vertical space. It grows best with nights above the low 60s, and it can struggle below that. I keep it at 90-100% humidity so the roots under the pads stay moist, but there are reports of it taking lower humidity if you can keep the roots moist. It is typically mounted to something, but some people have found success growing it in a pot of cactus mix or sphagnum moss, which i haven't tried. To mount it, simply spread some sphagnum moss on bark, a totem or other surface, place the pad on it, and wrap it with fishing line or horticultural ties to keep it flat while it roots. Keep the sphagnum moist at all times, preferably using distilled water that isn't cold. Once a month, i saturated the sphagnum with diluted hydroponic fertilizer. Older plants can tolerate a good amount of sun, but i would avoid strong sun while it's young. It doesn't require sun to be happy, just bright light, such as an LED panel. In the right conditions, it is a fairly durable plant. Photos courtesy of Wilhelm Barthlott, William Coville, and Whaldener Endo
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