Wijayakusuma

Wijayakusuma on handI’m not sure why I seem so obsessed with this flower. Epiphyllu Oxypetalum is called Wijayakusuma in Indonesia, Gekka Bijin in Japan, Brahma Kamala in India, and Queen of the night everywhere.

I first got this flower from Pakdhe Mbilung and Mbak Jeni. They gave me the bigger variety with giant flowers. The problem with this variety is…the flower (flowerS, if lucky) only appears when it wants to. Sometimes once a year, other times twice if I’m lucky.

Wijayakusuma small with AikoA few years later, my friend, Acil, gave me the small variety with mini flowers. This one produces more flowers more often -but smaller. A lot smaller. However, if you want to have year-long flowers, this small variety is the best. Imagine ten, twenty, forty of them blooming at the same time around your house.

Wijayakusuma flowers only bloom one night and only at night. If you want to watch it blooming, you’ve got to wait around 11PM to 1AM when the flowers reach their peak bloom. But, it’s worth the waiting!

Wijayakusuma giant half bloomWhen the flower blooms, especially the giant one, it lets out a faint fragrance that smells somewhere between Jasmine and Campaqa, but not quite. It smells reaaaaaalllyyyyy nice, almost magical. Now here’s the catch, I put my giant Wijayakusuma plant in the terrace and noot far from the pot, there are Jasmine and Kemuning. A little bit farther, in my neighbor’s garden, there is a Campaqa tree. Imagine how it feels when I try to capture the blooming of Wijayakusuma flower around midnight. The fragrance of Jasmine, Kemuning, AND Campaqa will mix with the fragrance of Wijayakusuma. At midnight. It feels like the night spirits are having a party in my terrace. People say the fragrance of these flowers bring all of the night spirits to live. Heck.Wijayakusuma 2 new giants

My obsession with Wijayakusuma flowers is successful in making me stay up late to make sure I can get the minute by minute photos. I will feel totally happy when I can see it full blooming. I even have a folder dedicated to this flower!

I heard from my Javanese aunt, Wijayakusuma plant will only produce flowers in a blessed house. I also heard if we can catch the flower blooming fully, we will be prosperous. Want to prove that? Wijayakusuma giant full bloom

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