Wordnet 3.0
NOUN (3)
1.
any of several night-blooming cacti of the genus Selenicereus;
2.
any of several cacti of the genus Hylocereus;
3.
any of several cacti of the genus Cereus;
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Night-blooming \Night"-bloom`ing\, a.
Blooming in the night.
[1913 Webster]
Night-blooming cereus. (Bot.) See Note under Cereus.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Cereus \Ce"re*us\, n. [L., a wax candle, fr. cera wax. So named
from the resemblance of one species to the columnar shape of
a wax candle.] (Bot.)
A genus of plants of the Cactus family. They are natives of
America, from California to Chili.
[1913 Webster]
Note: Although several species flower in the night, the name
Night-blooming cereus is specially applied to the
Cereus grandiflorus, which is cultivated for its
beautiful, shortlived flowers. The Cereus giganteus,
whose columnar trunk is sometimes sixty feet in height,
is a striking feature of the scenery of New Mexico,
Texas, etc.
[1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
night-blooming cereus
n 1: any of several night-blooming cacti of the genus
Selenicereus
2: any of several cacti of the genus Hylocereus
3: any of several cacti of the genus Cereus