NONESUCH
EXPEDITIONS FOUNDED
IN 1962
MARGARET MEE'S AMAZON
A
THEME CREATED BY TONY MORRISON
THE
AMAZON MOONFLOWER - Selenicereus wittii
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The
Moonflower is a cactus of the genus Selenicereus.As many
of the species flower at night the genus is remembered by the
name Selene from the old Greek word for 'Moon'. This species
is known only from small parts of the enormous Amazon forest and
was named wittii at the beginning of the 20th century after
a German collector. Sometimes
the plant is known as Strophocactus wittii.
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| A glossary of botanical terms and a map will be available later on this site. Meanwhile a simple map of the Anavihanas archipelago is on The Quest for the Moonflower in All the Magic of the Moonflower | |
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| Selenicereus wittii is generally found close to water and widely in the flooded Amazon forests or igapós of the Rio Negro This is an immense tributary of 'black' tea coloured water flowing from the north to enter the main river just below Manaus. | Selenicereus wittii is an epiphyte - it uses other plants as a foundation. Its leaf-like flattened stems are usually attached to the trunks of trees. Some older stems appear to have become detached and hang loosely over the water |
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| Selenicereus wittii. The colour of the flattened stems varies from green to crimson, often on the same side of the tree. The younger stems seem to be green. Often the plant grows with others on the same tree. Here the flowers protruding on long tubular floral structures are almost fully developed. | Selenicereus wittii The edges of the broad flattened stems are edged with fine, short spines |
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| Selenicereus wittii. The flower head and tube are parts of the same plant structure which grows from the edge of the flattened stem. The tube is covered with fine hairs pointing outwards. | Selenicereus wittii. Here, soon after dusk the flower head began to open. The tube was still erect |
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| Selenicereus wittii Once daylight had gone the opening continued rapidy, often visibly as the white or very pale yellow perianth leaves resembling 'petals' began to unfurl | Selenicereus wittii After an hour the flower on the end of its tube was almost fully open |
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| Selenicereus wittii. In the case of this plant the flower was fully open long before midnight and all the perianth leaves were long and firmly pointed | Selenicereus wittii At this stage the flower had a faint, softly sweet perfume and small insects were attracted |
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| Selenicereus wittii The insects gathered on the stamens - see the black specks top left , centre and various in the lower half of the picture | Selenicereus wittii The insects did not stay all night and by the time the flower began to close, they had gone |
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| Selenicereus wittii As dawn approached the perianth leaves like 'petals' began to droop and close. | Selenicereus wittii By the time of first light the perianth had closed and the flower tube drooped. The life of the flower was over |
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