night-blooming cereus

[ nahyt-bloo-ming ]

/ ˈnaɪtˌblu mɪŋ /

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noun

any of various cacti of the genera Hylocereus, Peniocereus, Nyctocereus, or Selenicereus, having large, usually white flowers that open at night.

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Origin of night-blooming cereus

First recorded in 1800–10

Words nearby night-blooming cereus

niggling, nigh, night, night and day, night blindness, night-blooming cereus, night bolt, nightcap, nightclothes, nightclub, night coach

How to use night-blooming cereus in a sentence

Some of the most common species in cultivation are the Phyllocactus species, often called the Night-blooming Cereus.
The Practical Garden-Book|C. E. Hunn
Systematically it belongs to the Cereus family, in which the notable Night-blooming Cereus also is naturally included.
Scientific American Supplement, Vol. XXI., No. 531, March 6, 1886|Various
Once more the night-blooming cereus oped its dank petals; and amid its murky fragrance I sank to rest.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 14, No. 85, November, 1864|Various
The night-blooming cereus laid its ivory urn open to the moonlight, and a myriad of crickets chirped in one continuous jubilee.
Summer Cruising in the South Seas|Charles Warren Stoddard

The night-blooming cereus abounds, opening just at sunset, and closing again at break of day.
Due South or Cuba Past and Present|Maturin M. Ballou

British Dictionary definitions for night-blooming cereus

night-blooming cereus

noun

any of several cacti of the genera Hylocereus, Selenicereus, etc, having large fragrant flowers that open at night

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012