the.com/moonflower
a bloom that ghosts the daytime crowd and unfurls only for the night shift
means A name for several night-blooming plants — especially the white, fragrant Ipomoea alba, a relative of the morning glory — whose large flowers open in the evening and close by morning.
from A plain English compound of "moon" and "flower," naming the plant for its habit of blooming at night under the moon rather than in daylight. "Moon" descends from Old English mōna, a cousin of German Mond and Latin luna; "flower" comes through Old French flour from Latin flos, flor- ("blossom"). The pairing is descriptive rather than ancient — these moonlit bloomers earned the name for opening when their morning-glory kin have closed up shop.
- night bloomer
- Opens at dusk, wilts by morning sun
- moth romance
- Sweet scent lures hawk moths to pollinate
- toxic charm
- Seeds contain hallucinogenic, potentially deadly alkaloids
- fast unfurl
- Petals visibly open in mere minutes
- family ties
- Related to the humble morning glory
ipomoea alba — tropical climbing vine with large white flowers that bloom only at night, native to central and south america
epiphyllum oxypetalum — night-blooming cereus cactus with fragrant white flowers that open for just one night per year in summer