Common names: Dutchmans' Pipe; Arizona Queen-of-the-Night
Scientific name: Peniocereus greggii

Description: The night-blooming cereus is a perennial succulent with gray-brown stems and waxy white fragrant flowers that bloom at night in the summer months, with each individual flower lasting only the single night of its bloom. The plant also produces an oblong red-orange fruit and has a fleshy root.

Uses: Previously used for a variety of medicinal purposes, predominantly for control of diabetes. The fruits and roots were also used as food, as were the flowers and young stalks.

Author

Kimberley A. Ryan, Northern Arizona University Anthropology Laboratories

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