Desert Queen

Imagine an exquisite flower with an intoxicating scent, that blooms, from a cactus, only one midsummer's night each year and then folds her elegant petals with the first rays of the morning sun. Is it any wonder that few have ever seen this flower, let alone shared in her aromatic secret? Introducing "Desert Queen" - the first fragrance ever created based on the essence of the unique Queen of the Night cactus flower. Queen of the Night is the common name for the peniocereus greggii species of night-blooming cacti. This cactus is not your ordinary looking cactus though. In fact, most of the year, it is almost invisible! Its' narrow and inconspicuous ribbed branches have small spines and are reminiscent of dead sticks. They are frequently hidden or intertwined amongst other desert cacti or shrubbery, which is why most people never notice them. These cacti can grow up to 8 feet long but are usually half that size. Each of the Queen of the Night's blossoms open for a single night, from mid-June into July, and close with the rays of the early morning sun. Its elegant flowers are composed of dramatic white petals and stamens, which, when at full bloom, have the appearance of a tea cup and saucer and can grow up to 8 inches in diameter. Queen of the Night is native to the Sonoran and Chihuahan deserts. Its known range includes large areas in central Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, western Texas, and south into Sonora, Mexico. The species in general is not nearly as plentiful as it once was. In fact, the numbers of these plants are so diminished in Arizona that within the Gila River Indian Reservation where it was once common, it is now a protected plant on the reservation.