CESTRUM

Cestrum nocturnum (common names include night-blooming jasmine, night-blooming cestrum, lady of the night, queen of the night), is a species of Cestrum in the plant family Solanaceae (the potato family). It is native to the West Indies, but naturalised in South Asia.

Cestrum is an evergreen woody shrub growing to 4 metres. The leaves are simple, narrow lanceolate, 6–20 centimetres long and 2–4.5 centimetres broad, smooth and glossy, with an entire margin. The flowers are greenish-white, with a slender tubular corolla 2–2.5 centimetres long with five acute lobes, 10–13 millimetres diameter when open at night, and are produced in cymose inflorescences. A powerful, sweet perfume is released at night. There is also a variety with yellowish flowers (seen here).

The fruit is a berry 10 millimetres long by 5 millimetres diameter, the colour of an aubergine. There are mixed reports regarding the toxicity of foliage and fruit. Cestrum nocturnum is grown in subtropical regions as an ornamental plant for its flowers that are heavily perfumed at night. It grows best in average to moist soil that is light and sandy, with a neutral pH of 6.6 to 7.5, and is hardy to hardiness zone 8. C. nocturnum can be fertilised biweekly with a weak dilution of seaweed and fish emulsion fertiliser.

This post is part of the Monday Mellow Yellows meme,
and also part of the Macro Monday meme,
and also part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.