Arizona Night Blooming Cereus Cactus. Peniocereus greggii, Cactus Family ( Cactaceae ), Arizona Night Blooming Cereus Cactus. Also called: Arizona Queen of the Night, Desert Night Blooming Cereus, Deer Horn Cactus, Reina de la Noche, Night Blooming Cereus, Cereus greggii, or Peniocereus greggii var. greggii. We wish to thank Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia for some of the information on this page. We share images and information with Wikipedia. Arizona or Desert night-blooming cereus, a perennial cactus that typically resembles a dead stick having from one to serveral stems arising from a single, very large tuberous root. As such, it is rarely noticed in the desert. Over the last few years as development of desert areas has increased in Phoenix and Tucson, these plants and their habitat have been destroyed. Peniocereus greggii is frequently called "Arizona Queen of the Night," however; the real "queen of the night" is Selenicereus grandiflorus. The Arizona Night Blooming Cereus Cactus has thin stems and a large underground tuber that can reach 100 pounds. Typically, they are about 15 - 25 pounds. Quick Notes: Height: Up To 1 to 10 feet Tall. Flowers: White, strongly scented, about 4-inch-wide flowers bloom during June. Near the ends of its branches, developing at the end of a slender, long purplish-brown tube from an individual areole, the blossoms open during the early desert evening about sunset. The time for the flower to bloom is about 2 1/2 to 3 hours. They close again by the next morning sunrise. Flowering Time: May - June. Mid June in the Tucson and Phoenix area. Fruit: The fruit is up to 3 inches long, red-orange, ovoid, with black seeds. Stem: From 1/2 - 1 inch in diameter consisting of an interior framework of about 4 to 6 woody ribs supporting the spongy tissue. The elliptical areoles are closely set with blackish spines; 1or 2 centrals about 2 mm long; with 6 to 9 conical radials. Leaves: Cactus thorns are modified leaves. Their shape conserves water and adds protection to the cactus plant. Found: Native to the Sonoran Desert of Arizona. Especially Pima, Yuma Counties. Primarily in Sonoran desertscrub in central regions of the Arizona, in areas where Larrea tridentata is found. Also found in northern Sonora, eastern Chihuahua, northeastern Durango, northern Zacatecas, and Coahuila, in Mexico. The USDA claims it is native of the USA (AZ, NM, TX). Hardiness: USDA Zone 9a: to -6.6 �C (20 �F) USDA Zone 9b: to -3.8 �C (25 �F) USDA Zone 10a: to -1.1 �C (30 �F) USDA Zone 10b: to 1.7 �C (35 �F) Soil pH requirements: 5.6 to 6.0 (acidic) 6.1 to 6.5 (mildly acidic) 6.6 to 7.5 (neutral) 7.6 to 7.8 (mildly alkaline) 7.9 to 8.5 (alkaline) Sun Exposure: Full Sun Elevation: 900 - 3,300 Feet. Habitat: Desert slopes and flats, rocky bajadas. The Arizona Night Blooming Cereus Cactus begins life under a "nurse" plant, typically a desert scrub, palo verde or mesquite tree. The scrub or tree provides shade and increased water availability during the summer, and protects it from winter frosts. Miscellaneous: Photos Taken Glendale Xeriscape Garden. February 15, 2006. Flowers June 16, 2005. Blossom Sequence June 14, 2006. Bloom Sequence photos have a redish color to them due to a bright redish light in the park where the photos were taken.

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