One night only

Tonight's flora report from v's yard:

This is a plant that is nestled between two mango trees. It's thorny vine-like cactus leaves grow in tangled clumps and while it seems scraggly and unfriendly, it has one very obvious redeeming quality: the amazing flower.

The plant originally came from my grandmother's garden on the rooftop of a Chinatown shophouse. My grandma thought the grandiose flowers were auspicious because of their sheer size (up to a foot in length!) and life span. Somehow related to the dragon fruit, the night-blooming flowers open for a few hours and wilt by morning.

You can cut off a segment or two of the plant leaves and stick it in the ground. It roots easily and within a year or two, viola! Your own creepy plant with magnificent flora!