Nyctanthes Explained

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.

Notes and References

1. http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/namedetail.do?name_id=354899 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
2. 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