What is this flowering succulent?

Question

I just moved into this house and there are a few random potted plants left over from the previous tenants. I live in Perth, Western Australia.

I recently gave this one some water since it didn't look dead and suddenly it had these shoots growing off of it. Then a couple of days later they bloomed into large white flowers.

"Succulent" means "water storage on stem". But from that photos, stem and leaves are flat. — Giacomo Catenazzi, Dec 14 '16 at 15:30
@GiacomoCatenazzi , jungle cacti do contain succulent tissue, but to a lesser extent than the desert cacti — J. Musser, Dec 15 '16 at 15:25

score 6 · Accepted Answer · answered Dec 14 '16 at 20:50

6

It's an orchid cactus, Epiphyllum oxypetallum, also known as Night Blooming cactus - can be grown in a trailing fashion if given plenty of sun and little water, as a more upright plant given shade and more water. Not frost tolerant, needs temperatures above 40 deg F. Flowers should be fragrant, and only last one night, more info here http://herselfshouseplants.com/orchid-cactus-epiphyllum-oxypetallum/

answered Dec 14 '16 at 20:50

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Thanks for the info on caring for this plant. I was very pleasantly surprised by the sudden appearance of the flowers when I thought it was just your average cactus plant. I'll do my best to keep it happy. =) – Mike D. Dec 15 '16 at 00:41

What is this flowering succulent?

1 Answers1