Cestrum nocturnum
Cestrum
dama-de-noche, iki he po, night cestrum, night flowering jessamine, night jasmine, night jessamine, night-blooming jessamine, queen of the night, thauthau ni mbongi
jessamine
erect or lax, sparsely branched from base.
petiole 5–18 mm;
blade ovate, elliptic, or ovate-elliptic, 3.7–21 × 1.4–8.5 cm.
alternate.
1–3 per axil, each cluster 1–4-flowered.
axillary (sometimes clustered in leaf axils, often bracteate or bracteolate) [terminal], paniculate [racemose].
calyx 2.2–3.5 × 1.2–1.8 mm, lobes 5, erect or spreading, 0.5–1 mm;
corolla pale yellow to pale green, 16–24 mm, lobes 2–4.5 mm.
5-merous, radially symmetric to slightly bilateral;
calyx campanulate or tubular, lobes 3–5, acute to linear (equal or unequal), expanding slightly in fruit;
corolla white, pale yellow, pale green, or yellow-green, [red, pink, or orange], radial, tubular (tube frequently expanded around anthers), lobes 4 or 5, deltate to acute;
stamens equal or subequal, inserted at varying levels in corolla tube, filaments frequently pubescent, frequently with an appendage at point of fusion to corolla;
anthers dorsifixed, oblong to ellipsoid, dehiscing by longitudinal slits;
ovary 2-carpellate (2- or 4-locular);
style slender, usually surpassing stamens;
stigma entire or 2-lobed, rarely exserted.
berries, often juicy, globose, ovoid, or oblong.
white, 5–11 × 5–9 mm.
oblong to angulate.
= 8.
= 16.
Cestrum nocturnum
Cestrum
Cestrum nocturnum is considered to be an agricultural and environmental weed (R. P. Randall 2002).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Species ca. 175 (3 in the flora).
Some species of Cestrum are cultivated as ornamentals in warmer parts of the United States. Three are established in the flora area, and C. aurantiacum Lindley and C. fasciculatum (Schlechtendal) Miers may become established; they are shrubs or trees (to 4–5 m) and have brightly colored corollas (orange in C. aurantiacum and pink or red in C. fasciculatum). Berries of C. aurantiacum are white; those of C. fasciculatum are red. Cestrum fasciculatum may also be known as C. elegans Francey, an illegitimate homonym.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Axillary branches not subtended by minor leaves; berries ripening white. | C. nocturnum |
1. Axillary branches usually subtended by 1–3 minor leaves; berries ripening dark purple or black. | → 2 |
2. Calyces 3–4 mm, lobes 0.5–0.8 mm; corollas 11–16 mm, lobes 1.7–2.3 mm. | C. diurnum |
2. Calyces 4.5–5.5 mm, lobes 1.2–1.5 mm; corollas 18–22 mm, lobes 4–4.5 mm. | C. parqui |
CA
LA Plants
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
