Cestrum nocturnum

Cestrum nocturnum, the lady of the night, night-blooming jasmine, night-blooming jessamine, night-scented jessamine, night-scented cestrum or poisonberry, is a species of plant in the potato family Solanaceae. It is native to Mexico, Central America and northern South America and is naturalized in South Asia. Despite its common name, the species is not a "true jasmine" and not of the genus Jasminum.

Description

An evergreen shrub. It grows 2-4 m tall. The leaf stalk is less than 1.2 cm long. The leaf blades are narrowly oval and 8-16 cm long by 3-5 cm wide. The flowers have a strong smell at night. The fruit are small white berries.

Edible Uses

The leaves are cooked in fat with tortillas, though the plant should only be eaten with great caution.

Traditional Uses

The leaves are cooked in fat with tortillas. Caution: Many Cestrum plants contain alkaloids that are poisonous. The flowers can cause allergies.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

An extract of the plant is used as an antispasmodic and as a treatment for epilepsy. Various studies have been carried out on the medicinal virtues of the plant. One study isolated two new flavonoid glycosides and seven steroidal saponins. The study reports cytotoxic activities of the compounds against human oral squamous cell carcinoma and normal human gingival fibroblasts. Decoctions of the dried leaves were not effective against pharmacologically induced convulsions, but repeated administration reduced the amplitude of epileptic spikes in both primary and secondary foci. Results suggest the plant possesses analgesic activity through a peripheral mechanism. Both aqueous and methanol extracts of the plant have shown bactericidal activity against Staphylococcus aureus and various other bacteria. In laboratory tests, extracts of the plant were shown to inhibit tumour growth and prolong the lifetime in a dose-dependent manner.

Known Hazards

Ingestion of C. nocturnum has not been well documented, but there is some reason to believe that caution is in order. All members of the family Solanaceae contain an alkaloid toxin called solanine, though some members of the family are routinely eaten without ill-effect. The most commonly reported problems associated with C. nocturnum are respiratory problems from the scent, and feverish symptoms following ingestion. Some people, especially those with respiratory sensitivities or asthma, have reported 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 C. nocturnum as "toxic" and warn that ingesting plant parts, especially fruit, may result in elevated temperature, rapid pulse, excess salivation and gastritis. Spoerke and Smolinske (1990) noted the following: "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 two cases 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", and in a new paragraph noted that "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." Plant extracts have shown larvicidal activity against the mosquito Aedes aegypti while showing no toxicity to fish. Plant extracts cause hematological changes in the freshwater fish when exposed to sub lethal concentrations.

Distribution

A tropical plant. It is best with rich, moist, well-drained soils. It needs a protected, sunny position. It is damaged by drought or frost. In Yunnan.

Where It Grows

Africa, Andaman Is., Asia, Australia, Bangladesh, Belize, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central America*, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Cook Is., Congo DR, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, East Africa, El Salvador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, French Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti, Hawaii, Himalayas, Honduras, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Laos, Leeward Is., Lesser Antilles, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mexico, Myanmar, Nauru, Nepal, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niue, North America, Northeastern India, Pacific, Pakistan, Panama, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Reunion, Rotuma, Samoa, SE Asia, South America*, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad-Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda, USA, Venezuela, Vietnam, West Indies, Zambia, Zimbabwe,

Cultivation

It can be grown from seed or cuttings.

Propagation

Seed - Soft tip cuttings. Cuttings of semi-ripe wood, 8 - 10cm long.

Other Uses

The plant is grown as an ornamental hedge.

Production

It is fast growing.

Other Information

It is a cultivated food plant. It should only be eaten with great caution.

Synonyms

Also Known As

'Alaaumoe, Chinese inkberry, Fafine o te po, Huele de noche, Kembang wangi malam, Kupaoa, Lady of the night, Night jessamine, Night scented jasmine, Nya-hmwe-pan, Onaona iapana, Raat ki rani, Saung-taw-ku

References (18)

• Arellanes, Y., et al, 2013, Influence of traditional markets on plant management in the Tehuacan Valley. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 9:38
• Bodkin, F., 1991, Encyclopedia Botanica. Cornstalk publishing, p 243
• Bost, J. B., 2009, Edible plants of the Chinantla, Oazaca, Mexico. Master's thesis University of Florida. p 34
• Ekman Herbarium records Haiti
• Flora of Pakistan. www.eFloras.org

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