The Selenicereus grandiflorus is sometimes called the Queen of the Night. It blooms once a year and only in the dark, its incredibly fragrant flowers wilting before dawn. In India it’s called Brahma Kamalam, named after the Hindu god of creation, and it’s thought that the wishes of people who pray to the god while the flower is blooming will be fulfilled. The one my father was carrying was not in bloom.
This is interesting because we have a Brahma Kamal in our garden and it is our treasured plant. It has the sweetest smell when it blooms at night for a few hours. It is a coincidence that as I speak, we have a few buds about to bloom.
