Nyctanthes

Nyctanthes
Nyctanthes arbor-tristis
Scientific 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
  • 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.

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. The name Nyctanthes means "night flowering".

Species
  1. Nyctanthes aculeata CraibThailand
  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.