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Oleaceae
Night Jasmine
Nyctanthes arbor-tristis
Sorrow turned to beauty at dawn.
- Family
- Oleaceae
- Genus
- Nyctanthes
- Native to
- South Asia, Southeast Asia
- Bloom season
- Late Summer, Fall
- Type
- small tree
- Height
- 10-30 ft
- Sunlight
- full sun to part shade
- Soil
- well-drained, loamy
- Water
- moderate
- Hardiness
- 10-12
- Lifespan
- perennial
Did you know
- Flowers open only at dusk and drop to the ground by dawn, carpeting the soil in fragrant white and orange.
- The species name 'arbor-tristis' means 'sad tree' because the blooms wilt each morning.
- Hindu mythology says a princess heartbroken by the sun god became this tree, blooming only at night.
- The orange tubes of the flowers are used as a natural dye for silk in parts of India.
- In Ayurvedic medicine, the leaves have been used for centuries to treat fevers and arthritis.
Color meanings
0
sadness
1
devotion
2
unrequited love