Night blooming plants , while fascinating, aren’t all that rare either. Listed as “least concern” on the IUCN Red List, their popularity as ornamentals is noted but is not seen as affecting wild populations. A number of Epiphyllum species and their hybrids are commonly cultivated there is even an Epiphyllum Trailat San Diego Zoo’s Safari Park. Tan huas are certainly not rare, as Nick described them.
#TONG HUA MEANING FULL#
The flowers of tan hua, as described in Crazy Rich Asians, appear as “pale reddish petals curled tightly like delicate fingers grasping a silken white peach.” A report (accompanied by photos) published by Sacred Heart Universitydescribes watching tan hua flowers progess from bud formation to full bloom, a process that took more than two weeks. Showy, fragrant flowers are born along the margins of stems. Like other cacti, they are essentially leafless, but their stems are broad, flat, and leaf-like in appearance.
Watching it bloom is considered a sacred experience by many, including in India, where it is said to bring luck and prosperity to households who are fortunate enough to see theirs bloom.Įpiphyllums are epiphytic, meaning they grow non-parasitically on the surfaces of other plants, such as in the crevices of bark or the crotches of branches. Its beauty and intrigue along with its relative ease of cultivation helped it become popular and widespread across Asia and other parts of the world. oxypetalum was first brought to China in the 1600’s.
Tan hua ( Epiphyllum oxypetalum) via wikimedia commons In a seperate conversation, Nick’s cousin, Astrid, tries to convince her husband to attend the party by claiming, “it’s awfully good luck to see the flowers bloom.” Later, another one of Nick’s cousins tells Rachel, “it’s considered to be very auspicious to witness tan huas blooming.” Nick refers to the flowers as “very rare,” blooming “extremely infrequently,” and “quite something to witness.” She first meets the family and their gargantuan mansion when Nick’s grandma, seeing that her tan hua flowers are about to bloom, throws an impromptu (and lavish) party. Before the trip, Rachel was in the dark about the Young’s wealth. In the book, Nick Young brings his American girlfriend, Rachel Chu, to meet his ridiculously wealthy family in Singapore. Tan hua is the Chinese name for the plant, and this is how it is referred to in the book, Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan. This is the case with the flowers of the night blooming cactus, Epiphyllum oxypetalum, which goes by many names including Dutchman’s pipe cactus, queen of the night, orchid cactus, night blooming cereus, and tan hua. Since we can’t possibly celebrate every bloom, there are certain plants we have decided to pay more attention to – plants whose flowers aren’t so prolific, predictable, or long-lived or plants whose flowers come infrequently or at odd times of the day (or night). Flowers abound for much of the year, which means parties are called for pretty much non-stop (something Andrew W.K. When a flower blooms, a celebration is in order.