This interesting species blooms off and on throughout the year, each time for only a day. A sudden drop in temperature (usually caused by an afternoon thundershower on a hot day) will trigger bud development...eight or nine days later, all the flowers on the plant (and its neighbors in the same colony in the wild) come into bloom. The flowers have a wonderful crystalline texture and are mildly fragrant...the fragrance is pleasant in the morning, smelling sweet and somewhat spicy. Toward evening, the fragrance takes on the character of modeling paint. During the night, the flowers wilt...those that haven't been pollinated fall off the next day.




---Prem