Tropical night bloomers are pollinated primarily by beetles that work after dark, and the flowers have evolved accordingly: richly fragrant, often in deep reds, purples, and warm whites, held above the water on stout stems. They open as the light fails and stay open through the early morning, making them the centerpiece of any pond visible from a terrace or dining area at night. Like their day-blooming tropical relatives, they require warm water temperatures and fertile, heavy soil in a submerged container.

Tubers can be lifted at the end of the season and stored in barely moist conditions over winter, which makes repeating the following year a matter of patience rather than expense. They vary considerably in size by cultivar, so matching plant scale to the water feature matters: smaller cultivars work well in large container gardens while the bigger selections need an actual pond to perform. The foliage is similarly bold, with broad round leaves and wavy margins that read as strongly architectural even before any bloom appears.