Nyctanthes

Nyctanthes
Nyctanthes arbor-tristis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Oleaceae
Tribe: Myxopyreae
Genus: Nyctanthes
L.
Type species
Nyctanthes arbor-tristis
Synonyms[1]
  • Pariaticu Adans.
  • Scabrita L.
  • Parilium Gaertn.
  • Omolocarpus Neck.
  • Bruschia Bertol.

Nyctanthes is a genus of flowering plants in the family Oleaceae, native to southeastern Asia. It is currently accepted as containing two species; other species previously included in this genus have been transferred to other genera, most of them to Jasminum.[1][2][3]

They are shrubs or small trees growing to 10 m tall, with flaky bark. The leaves are opposite, simple. The flowers are produced in small clusters of two to seven together. The fruit is a two-parted capsule, with a single seed in each part.[2][4][5] The name Nyctanthes means "night flowering".

Species
  1. Nyctanthes aculeata Craib – Thailand
  2. Nyctanthes arbor-tristis L. - (Night-flowering jasmine or "sad tree") native to Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Java, Sri Lanka and Sumatra.
  1. ^ a b Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  2. ^ a b University of Oxford, Oleaceae information site: Nyctanthes
  3. ^ Sarmah, K.K. & Borthakur, S.K. (2009). A checklist of angiospermic plants of Manas national park in Assam, India. Pleione 3: 190-200.
  4. ^ Flora of Pakistan: Nyctanthes
  5. ^ AgroForestry Tree Database: Nyctanthes Archived 2011-07-16 at the Wayback Machine