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Nyctanthes arbor-tristis

Coral Jasmine · Night-flowering Jasmine

Family OleaceaeGenus Nyctanthes

White flowers with five twisted petals around a bright orange tube, opening from a cluster of green buds.
FlowerJ.M.GargCC 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
Flower
WhiteWikipedia
Native range
Assam, Bangladesh, Cambodia, East Himalaya, India, Jawa 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; Wikipedia — Wikipedia contributors; GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Worth knowing

  • Arbor-tristis means sad tree: the flowers open at dusk and fall in the early morning, and the tree looks droopy. An orange dye from the corolla, nyctanthin, is used to dye silk. Wikipedia: Nyctanthes arbor-tristis
  • The state flower of West Bengal, where it is called shiuli. Despite the name night-blooming jasmine, it is not a true jasmine. Wikipedia: Nyctanthes arbor-tristis

This source reports two treatments. Both are shown.

Protocol 1

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1996

Difficulty Low Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 31, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: light

No stated waiting before sowing. Then 5 days to germinate.

80% germination in 3–5 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1996 · 1st Supplement, Nyctanthes p. 61Public domain
Show the original text
Nyctanthes (Oleaceae). N. arbor-tristis germ. 70L(80% in 3-5 d), 70 GA-3(1/4, other three rotted), and 70D(none). The seeds were removed from the wafer like outer seed coat.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement, 1st Supplement, Nyctanthes p. 61. 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 High Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 15, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Gibberellic acid soak

  2. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C

No stated waiting before sowing. Germination time not stated; 21 days assumed.

25% germination.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1996 · 1st Supplement, Nyctanthes p. 61Public domain
Show the original text
Nyctanthes (Oleaceae). N. arbor-tristis germ. 70L(80% in 3-5 d), 70 GA-3(1/4, other three rotted), and 70D(none). The seeds were removed from the wafer like outer seed coat.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement, 1st Supplement, Nyctanthes p. 61. 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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