Cestrum nocturnum fruit

Cestrum nocturnum is a species of Cestrum in the plant family Solanaceae (the potato family). This species is native to the West Indies.^[1] Common names include night-blooming cestrum, lady of the night, queen of the night, night-blooming jessamine, and night-blooming jasmine. This plant was discovered by Davinder Singh Sains & his former friend Ragbhir Singh Ubhi, in the late 1800s on a hike through a West-Indies Forest.

Description

It is an evergreen woody shrub growing to 4 metres (13 ft) tall. The leaves are simple, narrow lanceolate, 6–20 cm (2–8 in) long and 2–4.5 cm broad, smooth and glossy, with an entire margin. The flowers are greenish-white, with a slender tubular corolla 2-2.5 cm (1 in) long with five acute lobes, 10–13 mm diameter when open at night, and are produced in cymose inflorescences. A powerful, sweet perfume is released at night. The fruit is a berry 10mm long by 5mm diameter, the colour of an aubergine. There is also a variety with yellowish flowers. There are mixed reports regarding the toxicity of foliage and fruit.^[2][3]

Cultivation and uses

Cestrum nocturnum also known as Night Blooming Jasmine, 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. Feed bi-weekly with a weak dilution of seaweed and fish emulsion fertilizer.

Ingestion of night jessamine (Cestrum nocturnum L.) has not been well documented, but there is some reason to believe that caution is in order. All members of the Solanaceae family contain an alkaloid toxin called Solanine,^[4] although it should be noted that tomatoes, potatoes, sweet peppers, chili peppers and many other fruits and tubers belong to the same family and are routinely eaten without ill-effect. The most commonly-reported problems associated with night jessamine are respiratory problems from the scent, and feverish symptoms following ingestion.

Some people – especially those with respiratory sensitivities or asthma – report difficulty breathing, irritation of the nose and throat, headache, nausea, or other symptoms when exposed to the blossom's powerful scent. Some Cestrum species contain chlorogenic acid, and the presence of this potent sensitizer may be responsible for this effect in C. nocturnum.

Some plant guides describe night jessamine as "toxic" and warn that ingesting plant parts, especially fruit, may result in elevated temperature, rapid pulse, excess salivation and gastritis.

The mechanisms of the plant's psychoactive effects are currently unknown, and anecdotal data is extremely limited. In a rare discussion of traditional entheogenic use of the plant, Müller-Ebeling, Rätsch, and Shahi describe shamanic use of night jessamine in Nepal. They describe experiencing "trippy" effects without mentioning unpleasant physical side effects. Rätsch's Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants also describes a handful of reports of ingestion of the plant without mentioning serious adverse side effects.

Spoerke et al. describe the following toxic effects reported from ingesting C. nocturnum: Ingesting 15 lb of plant material caused a cow to salivate, clamp its jaws, collapse, and eventually die. A postmortem showed gastroenteritis and congestion of liver, kidneys, brain, and spinal cord. Although the berries and the sap are suspected of being toxic, several cases of ingestion of the berries have not shown them to be a problem, with one exception. Morton cites a case where children ate significant quantities (handfuls) of berries and had no significant effects and another two where berries were ingested in smaller amounts, with similar negative results.

Ingestion of green berries over several weeks by a 2-year-old child resulted in diarrhea, vomiting, and blood clots in the stool. Anemia and purpura [discoloration of the skin caused by subcutaneous bleeding] were also noted. A solanine alkaloid isolated from the stool was hemolytic to human erythrocytes. <http://www.erowid.org/plants/cestrum/cestrum_health1.shtml>

Plant extracts have shown potent mosquito larvicidal activity against the larvae of Aedes aegypti while showing no toxicity to fish^[5]

Invasive potential

It has become widely naturalised in tropical and subtropical regions throughout the world, including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, southern China and the southernmost United States, and is difficult to eradicate. It is classed as a weed in some countries.

In Auckland New Zealand, it has been reported as a seriously invasive weed to the Auckland Regional Council and is under investigation. NS Forest and Bird is compiling an inventory of wild cestrum sites in order to place the plant on the banned list. The inventory can be viewed via Google Maps.^[6] Some nurseries still sell it without warning customers of the dangers to native bush reserves. It has been reported that the plant has been removed from some old folks' homes due to the strong scent causing difficulties for the residents.

Gallery

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  Freshly opened in Rockledge, Florida. (1 of 3)

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  A Black Racer snake rests on branches of a Night-Blooming Jasmine bush in Rockledge, Florida. (1 of 3)

References

Further reading

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Cestrum nocturnum

• Huxley, A., ed. (1990). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. Macmillan.
• Germplasm Resources Information Network: Cestrum nocturnum
• Flora of China: Cestrum nocturnum in China
• Poisons Information Centre (Queensland): Cestrum nocturnum
• USDA Plants Profile: Cestrum nocturnum
• Floridata: Cestrum nocturnum

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