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Cestrum nocturnum

Night Jessamine · Night-blooming Cestrum · Lady-of-the-night

Family SolanaceaeGenus Cestrum

A spray of long slender pale green tubes opening into small white stars, beaded with rain
FlowerAsit K. Ghosh ThaumaturgistCC BY-SA 3.0

About the plant

What it is and where it grows — not part of any germination protocol.

Habit
shrub or treePlants of the World Online
Habit
Perennial, Shrub, TreePLANTS Database
Flower
Pale yellow, pale greenFlora of North America
Native range
Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala and elsewhereGBIF Backbone Taxonomy

Toxicity is noted only where a source states it. No note here is not a finding of safety.

Sources: Plants of the World Online — Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; PLANTS Database — USDA NRCS; Flora of North America — Flora of North America Editorial Committee; GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Worth knowing

  • Its flowers are heavily perfumed at night. Despite its name night-blooming jasmine, it is not a true jasmine but a member of the potato family. Wikipedia: Cestrum nocturnum

This source reports three treatments. All are shown.

Protocol 1

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1996

Difficulty Low Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 26, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: light

No stated waiting before sowing. Then 10 days to germinate.

100% germination in 8–10 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1996 · 1st Supplement, Cestrum p. 30Public domain
Show the original text
Cestrum (Solanaceae). C. nocturnum germ. 70L(100% in 8-10 d), 70D(12% in 1-6 w)-40-70L(88% in 6-18 d), and 70D(12% in 1-6 w)-40-70D.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement, 1st Supplement, Cestrum p. 30. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 2

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1996

Difficulty Moderate Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around September 20, 2027 for a May 3 last frost. Too late for spring 2027 — that needed starting on September 19, 2026.

  1. Warm moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C Light: dark

    12 germinated in this phase.

  2. Cold moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 40°F 4°C

  3. Warm moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C Light: light

about 6 months from start to step 3. Germination happens during step 3, in 18 days.

88% germination in 6–18 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1996 · 1st Supplement, Cestrum p. 30Public domain
Show the original text
Cestrum (Solanaceae). C. nocturnum germ. 70L(100% in 8-10 d), 70D(12% in 1-6 w)-40-70L(88% in 6-18 d), and 70D(12% in 1-6 w)-40-70D.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement, 1st Supplement, Cestrum p. 30. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 3

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1996

Difficulty High Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around February 22, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Warm moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C Light: dark

  2. Cold moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 40°F 4°C

  3. Warm moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C Light: dark

Steps after step 1 run on after germination.

Germination happens during step 1, in 42 days.

12% germination in 7–42 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1996 · 1st Supplement, Cestrum p. 30Public domain
Show the original text
Cestrum (Solanaceae). C. nocturnum germ. 70L(100% in 8-10 d), 70D(12% in 1-6 w)-40-70L(88% in 6-18 d), and 70D(12% in 1-6 w)-40-70D.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement, 1st Supplement, Cestrum p. 30. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

How each step is done, in Deno’s words, and what Verified and Derived mean.

Germination trials

Readers’ own records of sowing this species, published after review. Share your trial · All trials

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