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The floral bud of Epiphyllum oxypetalum has a quite particular form : it points out a traditional Dutch pipe from which the name of “Dutchman' s Pipe Cactus” was given to the plant. The floral tube is approximately 12 inches long and, in the original biotope, the opened flower is pollinated by butterflies belonging to the Sphingidae family (Sphinx moths) which have a long proboscis rolled up at rest ; they extend the proboscis to plunge it into the floral tube and taste the nectar of the flower.
And pollination occurs the same way.
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