''Cestrum'' is a genus of — depending on authority — 150-250 species of flowering plants in the family

Solanaceae The Solanaceae , or nightshades, are a family of flowering plants that ranges from annual and perennial herbs to vines, lianas, epiphytes, shrubs, and trees, and includes a number of agricultural crops, medicinal plants, spices, weeds, and orn ...

. They are native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Americas, from the southernmost United States (Florida, Texas: day-blooming cestrum, '' C. diurnum'') south to the Bío-Bío Region in central Chile ( green cestrum, ''C. parqui''). They are colloquially known as cestrums or jessamines (from "

jasmine Jasmine ( taxonomic name: ''Jasminum''; , ) is a genus of shrubs and vines in the olive family (Oleaceae). It contains around 200 species native to tropical and warm temperate regions of Eurasia, Africa, and Oceania. Jasmines are widely cultiva ...

", due to their fragrant flowers). They are

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

s growing to tall. Most are evergreen; a few are deciduous. All parts of the plants are toxic, causing severe

gastroenteritis Gastroenteritis, also known as infectious diarrhea and gastro, is an inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract including the stomach and intestine. Symptoms may include diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Fever, lack of energy, and dehydra ...

if eaten.

Uses and ecology

Several species are grown as ornamental plants for their strongly scented flowers. Numerous cultivars have been produced for garden use, of which ‘Newellii’ has gained the Royal Horticultural Society’s

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...

. (confirmed 2017). Some are

invasive species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...

. Especially notorious is green cestrum (''C. parqui'') in Australia, where it can cause serious losses to livestock which eat the leaves (particularly of drying broken branches) unaware of their toxicity. ''C. laevigatum'' is employed by ''wajacas'' ( shamans) of the Krahô tribe in Brazil. It is used "to see far", i.e. to aid in divination. Like the other hallucinogenic plants consumed by them, Craós ''wajacas'' consider it a potent entheogen, not to be taken by the uninitiated. ''Cestrum'' species are used as food by the

caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder Sym ...

s of several

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) is an order (biology), order of insects that includes butterfly, butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 Family (biology), families and 46 Taxonomic r ...

species. These include the glasswing (''Greta oto''), the Antillean clearwing (''Greta diaphanus'') and ''

Manduca afflicta ''Manduca afflicta'' is a moth of the family Sphingidae known from Cuba and the Bahamas. It is similar to ''Manduca sexta''. Adults feed on nectar from flowers. The larvae have been recorded feeding on ''Cestrum diurnum'', the day-blooming jes ...

'', which possibly feeds only on day-blooming cestrum. It is either known or suspected that such Lepidoptera are able to sequester the toxins from the plant, making them noxious to many predators. ''Cestrum'' species are reported as piscicidal.

Selected species

* '' Cestrum ambatense'' Francey * ''

Cestrum aurantiacum ''Cestrum aurantiacum'' (orange cestrum, " orange jessamine", orange-flowering jessamine, and yellow cestrum; syn. ''Capraria lanceolata'' L.f.) is native to North and South America. This plant is used as an ornamental plant, and it is a poisono ...

'' – orange cestrum, orange-flowering jessamine, yellow cestrum, "orange jessamine" * '' Cestrum auriculatum'' L'Hér. * '' Cestrum bracteatum'' Link & Otto * ''

Cestrum buxifolium ''Cestrum'' is a genus of — depending on authority — 150-250 species of flowering plants in the family Solanaceae. They are native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Americas, from the southernmost United States (Florida, Texas: day ...

'' Kunth * '' Cestrum chimborazinum'' * '' Cestrum corymbosum'' Schltdl. * '' Cestrum daphnoides'' Griseb. * '' Cestrum diurnum'' L. – Day-blooming cestrum, Day-blooming jessamine * '' Cestrum ecuadorense'' Francey * ''

Cestrum elegans ''Cestrum elegans'', the purple cestrum, red cestrum, or bastard jasmine, is a species of flowering plants in the genus ''Cestrum''. History ''Cestrum elegans'' belongs to the family Solanaceae. Solanaceae is derived from the Greek language mean ...

'' (Brongn. ex Neumann) Schltdl. * '' Cestrum endlicheri'' Miers. * ''

Cestrum fasciculatum ''Cestrum fasciculatum'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Solanaceae known by the common names early jessamine and red cestrum. It is native to central Mexico, but it is also kept elsewhere as an ornamental plant. This is a gangly ev ...

'' – early jessamine, "red cestrum" * '' Cestrum humboldtii'' Francey * ''

Cestrum laevigatum ''Cestrum'' is a genus of — depending on authority — 150-250 species of flowering plants in the family Solanaceae. They are native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Americas, from the southernmost United States (Florida, Texas: day ...

'' Schltdl. – ''dama-de-noite'' ( Brazil) * ''

Cestrum lanceolatum ''Cestrum'' is a genus of — depending on authority — 150-250 species of flowering plants in the family Solanaceae. They are native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Americas, from the southernmost United States (Florida, Texas: day ...

'' Miers * '' Cestrum lanuginosum'' Ruiz & Pavón * '' Cestrum latifolium'' Lam. * '' Cestrum laurifolium'' L'Hér. * ''

Cestrum meridanum ''Cestrum'' is a genus of — depending on authority — 150-250 species of flowering plants in the family Solanaceae. They are native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Americas, from the southernmost United States (Florida, Texa ...

'' Pittier * ''

Cestrum mutisii ''Cestrum'' is a genus of — depending on authority — 150-250 species of flowering plants in the family Solanaceae. They are native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Americas, from the southernmost United States (Florida, Texas: day ...

'' Roem. & Schult. * '' Cestrum nocturnum'' – night-blooming cestrum, night-blooming jessamine, "lady of the night", ''raat ki rani'' ( South Asia) * ''

Cestrum pacificum ''Cestrum'' is a genus of — depending on authority — 150-250 species of flowering plants in the family Solanaceae. They are native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Americas, from the southernmost United States (Florida, Texas: day ...

'' * ''

Cestrum parqui ''Cestrum parqui'', commonly known as palqui, green cestrum or willow-leaved jessamine, is a species of flowering plant native to Chile. In Australia the plant is regarded as a noxious invasive weed and a significant hazard to livestock (especial ...

'' – green cestrum, Chilean cestrum, green poisonberry * ''

Cestrum peruvianum ''Cestrum'' is a genus of — depending on authority — 150-250 species of flowering plants in the family Solanaceae. They are native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Americas, from the southernmost United States (Florida, Texas: day ...

'' Roemer & Schultes * ''

Cestrum petiolare ''Cestrum'' is a genus of — depending on authority — 150-250 species of flowering plants in the family Solanaceae. They are native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Americas, from the southernmost United States (Florida, Texas: day ...

'' Humboldt, Bonpland & Kunth * '' Cestrum psittacinum'' Stapf * '' Cestrum quitense'' Francey * ''

Cestrum roseum ''Cestrum'' is a genus of — depending on authority — 150-250 species of flowering plants in the family Solanaceae. They are native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Americas, from the southernmost United States (Florida, Texas: day ...

'' Humboldt, Bonpland & Kunth * ''

Cestrum salicifolium ''Cestrum'' is a genus of — depending on authority — 150-250 species of flowering plants in the family Solanaceae. They are native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Americas, from the southernmost United States (Florida, Texas: day ...

'' Jacq. * ''

Cestrum santanderianum ''Cestrum'' is a genus of — depending on authority — 150-250 species of flowering plants in the family Solanaceae. They are native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Americas, from the southernmost United States (Florida, Texas: day ...

'' Francey * ''

Cestrum sendtnerianum ''Cestrum'' is a genus of — depending on authority — 150-250 species of flowering plants in the family Solanaceae. They are native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Americas, from the southernmost United States (Florida, Texas: day ...

Mart. Carl Friedrich Philipp (Karl Friedrich Philipp) von Martius (17 April 1794 – 13 December 1868) was a German botanist and explorer. Life Martius was born at Erlangen, the son of Prof Ernst Wilhelm Martius, court apothecary. He graduated PhD f ...

ex Sendtn. * ''

Cestrum sessiliflorum ''Cestrum'' is a genus of — depending on authority — 150-250 species of flowering plants in the family Solanaceae. They are native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Americas, from the southernmost United States (Florida, Texas: day ...

'' Schott ex Sendtn. * '' Cestrum stipulatum'' Vell. * ''

Cestrum strigilatum ''Cestrum'' is a genus of — depending on authority — 150-250 species of flowering plants in the family Solanaceae. They are native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Americas, from the southernmost United States (Florida, Texas: day ...

'' Ruiz & Pav. * ''

Cestrum stuebelii ''Cestrum'' is a genus of — depending on authority — 150-250 species of flowering plants in the family Solanaceae. They are native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Americas, from the southernmost United States (Florida, Texas: day ...

'' Hieron. * '' Cestrum thyrsoideum'' Kunth. * '' Cestrum tomentosum'' L.f. * ''

Cestrum validum ''Cestrum'' is a genus of — depending on authority — 150-250 species of flowering plants in the family Solanaceae. They are native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Americas, from the southernmost United States (Florida, Texas: day ...

'' Francey * ''

Cestrum viridifolium ''Cestrum'' is a genus of — depending on authority — 150-250 species of flowering plants in the family Solanaceae. They are native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Americas, from the southernmost United States (Florida, Texas: day ...

'' Francey

Uses and ecology

Selected species

References

Further reading