The queen of the night is a cactus best known for huge, fragrant flowers that open for a single night. After a successful bloom it can also produce a purplish-red fruit that is safe to eat.1NC State Extension Plants. Epiphyllum oxypetalum Most people who grow the plant never see that fruit, because it forms only when a flower is pollinated, and indoors that rarely happens on its own. The name is also shared by more than one cactus, including the plant behind store-bought dragon fruit, so which fruit you mean matters.
Which Plant Is the Queen of the Night
The plant most gardeners mean is Epiphyllum oxypetalum, a tropical cactus without spines that grows on trees or rocks in the wild.2NC State Extension Plants. Epiphyllum oxypetalum It is native to the region from Mexico to Nicaragua.3Wikipedia. Epiphyllum oxypetalum It also goes by Dutchman’s pipe cactus and princess of the night.4Wikipedia. Epiphyllum oxypetalum
A potted one has long, flat, strap-like stems that look like leaves, with scalloped or wavy edges. The true spines found on many cacti are absent. In a home the stems often arch and sprawl and can reach several feet, a very different habit from a dragon fruit vine. The big white flower comes out of the notches along the stem edge, not from the tip, which helps if you are trying to match your plant to a photo.
Other cacti share the name. Dragon fruit, also called pitaya, is sold under names including queen of the night and night-blooming cereus.5Elsevier. Phenological growth stages of dragon fruit (Hylocereus undatus) according to the extended BBCH-scale Another night-blooming climbing cactus, Selenicereus grandiflorus, is also called queen of the night.6Tough Kraut Plant Library. Selenicereus grandiflorus (Queen of the Night) Dragon fruit plants have thick three-sided stems with small spines along the edges. All of these bloom at night with large white flowers, which is why the names get mixed up. Recipes and nutrition pages for “queen of the night fruit” often describe dragon fruit, so searching by the scientific name gives more reliable results.
A fruit labeled queen of the night at a market is very likely dragon fruit, a related cactus fruit that is also edible. Look for clues on the label or sign, such as the word pitaya or dragon fruit, or the scaly skin with leaf-like flaps.
What the Fruit Looks and Tastes Like
The fruit is bright purplish-red and looks similar to a dragon fruit.7NC State Extension. Epiphyllum oxypetalum It is oblong and angled, up to about 6 inches long and 3 inches wide.8NC State Extension. Epiphyllum oxypetalum Inside, the flesh is white and dotted with small black seeds.9NC State Extension. Epiphyllum oxypetalum
The taste is often compared to passionfruit.10Gardenia. Epiphyllum oxypetalum (Queen of the Night) Dragon fruit flesh, by comparison, is usually described as mildly sweet with soft black seeds.11Elsevier. Phenological growth stages of dragon fruit (Hylocereus undatus) according to the extended BBCH-scale
The flesh is soft and juicy, closer to a ripe kiwi than a crisp apple. The seeds are tiny and crunchy, eaten along with the flesh.
Ripeness is the main thing to get right. A fruit that is still green, or has green patches on a red skin, is not ready, and waiting until the skin is fully deep red-purple gives the best flavor. Press gently with your thumb: a ripe fruit yields slightly, like a ripe peach, while a rock-hard one needs more time.
Expect a wait of weeks to months after a successful pollination. As ripeness approaches, check the fruit daily rather than weekly, because ripe fruit can go quickly. A fruit that splits open or falls off on its own is past its best. Eat it promptly, or discard it if the flesh looks fermented or moldy.
How to Eat Queen of the Night Fruit
The fruit is edible and is prepared much like dragon fruit, which it resembles.12NC State Extension. Epiphyllum oxypetalum Rinse it and set it on a cutting board. With a sharp knife, halve it lengthwise from end to end, then scoop out the white flesh with a spoon, or cut the flesh into cubes while it’s still in the skin. Discard the skin, which is tough and not normally eaten.
A ripe, uncut fruit keeps best in the refrigerator, where it stays good for a few days, so you don’t have to eat it the moment it ripens. Chilling before cutting also makes the soft flesh firmer and easier to scoop or cube cleanly. Once cut, wrap the halves or put the scooped flesh in a covered container in the fridge and eat it within a day or two. Eat it chilled on its own, or cube it into fruit salads, blend it into smoothies, or spoon it over yogurt.
Nobody has studied this fruit for nutrition, so no reliable figures exist for it. Related cactus fruits like dragon fruit are generally low in calories with some fiber and vitamin C. Claims about antioxidant or medicinal benefits come from dragon fruit or plant extracts in lab tests, not from eating this fruit.13International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences. Dragon Fruit-Night Blooming Cactus No part of the plant should be used to treat diabetes or inflammation.
Why Your Plant Rarely Makes Fruit and How to Change That
Fruits are rarely produced on this plant.14NC State Extension. Epiphyllum oxypetalum A flower needs pollinating to turn into fruit, even though the plant blooms without it.15Tough Kraut Plant Library. Selenicereus grandiflorus (Queen of the Night) In the wild, bats pollinate the flowers,16Gardenia. Epiphyllum oxypetalum (Queen of the Night) and night pollinators such as moths and bats do the job for related night-blooming cacti.17Tough Kraut Plant Library. Selenicereus grandiflorus (Queen of the Night) A plant on a porch or windowsill seldom gets visited, so its flowers wither without fruiting.
Container growers may need to hand-pollinate open flowers, which means moving pollen with a small brush.18Tough Kraut Plant Library. Selenicereus grandiflorus (Queen of the Night) Do it the night the flower opens, since each bloom lasts only one night. Watch the bud swell and point upward; it usually opens after dark. Use a small soft paintbrush to pick up yellow pollen from the many stamens, then brush it onto the sticky, star-shaped tip in the flower’s center. Label the flower so you know which one to watch.
Pollen from the same plant often does not set fruit well, so pollen from a second plant, even a cutting from a friend’s, gives a better chance. Pollination is not guaranteed, so try several flowers if you can.
The first morning tells you little, because both kinds of flower close and wilt. Over the following days an unpollinated flower yellows and drops, while a pollinated one keeps its base green and begins to swell. That swelling grows over several weeks and gradually turns red.
Getting a bloom in the first place takes some care. Mature plants bloom more than young cuttings. Bright indirect light and slightly crowded roots encourage buds, and a cooler, drier rest in winter helps set summer flowers.
Can You Eat the Flowers Too
The flower is slippery-textured when cooked and is often eaten in vegetable soup.19StuartXchange. Queen of the night In Taiwan, flowers are picked at night and dried the next day.20StuartXchange. Queen of the night In Vietnam, petals from faded blooms go into soups and are believed to be tonic and aphrodisiac.21StuartXchange. Queen of the night Those beliefs are traditional and not backed by evidence.
To try it, pick the flower the morning after it opens, once it has closed. Use only plants grown without pesticide sprays. Rinse it, slice the petals, and simmer them briefly in a clear vegetable broth. Spare flowers can be dried in a warm, airy spot for later soups. The cooked petals turn soft and slightly slick, similar to okra, and they thicken the broth gently. People who dislike slimy textures may prefer them dried. Use faded, unpollinated flowers for soup and leave pollinated ones on the plant.
Is Queen of the Night Safe to Eat
The fruits of Epiphyllum oxypetalum are described as edible.22NC State Extension Plants. Epiphyllum oxypetalum Dragon fruit, sold under the same nickname, is a widely eaten food.23Elsevier. Phenological growth stages of dragon fruit (Hylocereus undatus) according to the extended BBCH-scale But other plants are also nicknamed queen of the night, so confirm what you have before eating. Don’t eat fruit from a plant you can’t identify.
To confirm, compare your plant’s stems and flowers with a reliable source using the scientific name, not just the common name. Flat, spineless, scalloped stems fit Epiphyllum, while thick three-sided stems fit dragon fruit. If you are unsure, ask the person who gave you the plant, or check the original tag.
Houseplants are often treated with products that are not meant for food, so ask yourself whether you have used any. Systemic insecticides are taken up into the plant’s tissues, so washing the fruit does not remove them, and fruit from a treated plant is best skipped. If you only sprayed with something safe for edibles, follow the label’s wait time before harvesting.
Start with a small amount, as with any new food, and stop if you notice itching, swelling, or stomach upset. Extra care applies to people with allergies to other cactus fruits like dragon fruit or prickly pear, and to pregnant people considering flower “tonic” soups. Anyone thinking of using plant extracts in place of medical treatment should also hold off.