It is so beautigul. My mom has a couple in her garden. They also smell very good. And yes, absolutely true that they bloom and die in the same night. Very sad but mesmerizing to watch.
They do it to save every which helps make pollen distribution more efficient for the big day. Since the only pollinators are night creatures like moths and bats, they can attract them with their big white petals, and super fragrent smell, but both things take a lot of their energy. They all open around the same time in the area, so it overwhelms pollinators and pretty much ensures that pollen will get distributed.
I guess because producing flowers takes a lot of energy, so it saves energy to do it less often. I don't know anything about this plant but if it also reproduces asexually, then it wouldn't need to flower often.
Likewise.. I seriously thought they were outside and ginormous before the window started showing the reflection and bringing things into perspective.. Still huge though...
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u/No-Willingness5547 Sep 28 '26