Uses for Moon Flowers

Night-Blooming Cereus

• A close relative to the Christmas cactus, the night-blooming cereus plant opens its blooms only during nighttime hours. The plant uses the blossoms to attract nocturnal pollinators, such as moths. Like all night-blooming plants, the night-blooming cereus's flower is white. When used as an herbal remedy, it is believed to stimulate the circulatory system. It is also sometimes used as a diuretic and sedative. Otherwise, the night-blooming cereus is chiefly ornamental.

Sacred Datura

• Sacred datura is a long-growing perennial vine that thrives in desert areas like Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and places of similar climates. Its bright white blossoms open only at night, a phenomenon that has earned it the nickname of moonflower. It is related to the potato and eggplant, but is not edible. Other names of sacred datura, or moonflower, include jimson weed, thorny apple and moon lily.

  Sacred datura serves very few uses. In fact, any medicinal use of this plant lies within the distant past when it was used in the early 1900s and late 1800s as a treatment for epilepsy and bed-wetting. It also has homeopathic and shamanic applications for sedation and vision questing. However, as an ornamental plant, sacred datura serves as an attractive border flower for moonlit gardens. It is also beautiful when added to an arrangement.

Tall Morning Glory

• The white variety of the tall morning glory is another common moonflower. The lily-white blooms only open at night, but resemble in structure the blossoms and foliage of the morning glory plant. Although they are related, these moonflowers do not bloom in ordinary shades of violet. Uses for moonflower morning glory are primarily ornamental. It serves as a barrier plant that grows up structures with a series of heavily foliate vines. The fragrance of white morning glory flowers is sweet but light. The flowers can be clipped and used in corsages and in bouquets. Moonflower morning glories can also be boiled down in potpourri and used as a home scent alternative to air freshener.