Epiphyllum oxypetalum

Name and study material

Plants of the World Online accepts the name Epiphyllum oxypetalum (DC.) Haw. The historical names Cereus oxypetalus and Epiphyllum acuminatum are included in its synonymy. The scent results were obtained from five-year-old cultivated plants in Zizhong, Sichuan Province, China. [2-WWW] [Zhang et al. 2025, POWO 132938-1, 12.10.2026, Zhang2025 pp.10]

Flower and scent emission

Zhang and colleagues collected the air surrounding whole flowers and analysed volatile compounds by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. After 20 h local time, total emission increased approximately 200-fold over six hours. The emission pattern was associated with flower opening and subsequent wilting. [Zhang et al. 2025, pp.1–3, Fig.1]

At full bloom, geraniol accounted for 72.54% of total emission. Other major constituents included benzyl alcohol and methyl salicylate. Organ-specific analysis identified petals and sepals as the principal scent sources. These proportions refer to a particular flowering stage and changed during the night. [Zhang et al. 2025, pp.1–4, Fig.1–2]

Geraniol at the cellular level

Transcript analysis, experiments with metabolic pathway inhibitors and protein activity assays identified EoTPSa1 as the major geraniol synthase. The enzyme was localized to the cytosol. Precursors were supplied by the mevalonate pathway. Together, these findings explain the biosynthetic route of the dominant scent constituent in the studied material. [Zhang et al. 2025, pp.4–10, Fig.3–7]

The study plants were grown under seminatural conditions and protected from excessive sunlight in summer. This description defines the conditions used to obtain material for scent analysis. The paper describes a metabolic mechanism and provides a basis for further research on fragrance compounds. [Zhang et al. 2025, pp.10, Materials and methods]

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