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Cactaceae

14-Night-blooming cactus

[FMP-field: image]

The flowers of night blooming cereus (Hylocereus undatus) are large, 6 inches or more in diameter, open at night, last for a single night, and emit a strong fragrance that attracts bats, which pollinate the flowers. The flowers of the giant saguaro (Carnegia gigantea), native to the Sonoran Desert, are also pollinated by bats.

Photo by K. R. Robertson of a plant in cultivation at the University of Kansas.

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