Purple Cestrum

Description

Cestrum elegans, the purple cestrum, red cestrum, or bastard jasmine, is a species of flowering plants in the genus Cestrum. Cestrum elegans is a slender evergreen that reaches seven feet in height. Overall, the structure is very compact with only a few branches. The panicles form in closely compacted groups at the top of the plant. Downy, pendulous, hairy shoots carry simple, alternate oblong leaves with pointed tips. Leaves are mid green in color and ovate with entire margins. Leaves are arranged alternately on the stem and grow to be eight centimeters long. Leaves also have a distasteful smell, but the flowers smell sweet. Leaves bear funnel-shaped bright purplish-red (almost blood red) flowers with 5 pointed lobes. Flowers are typically 2 cm long. Immature stems are densely covered with purplish hairs that become woody as maturity is reached. When grown in warm temperate climates the leaves are soft and hairy. Flowers bloom from August to March. Berries can be produced and are crimson to dark red in color. Grows best in a semi-shaded environment, in fertile, non-dense soil. Withstands times of drought. Pollination occurs through hummingbirds. All parts of plant are poisonous when ingested. Cestrum elegans belongs to the family Solanaceae. Solanaceae is derived from the Greek language meaning a plant of uncertain definition. Other accepted synonyms for the species are C. purpureum and C. paniculatum. The plant is most commonly known as the Bastard Jasmine. Henri Guillaume Galeotti first collected the plant at Lake Chapala, Mexico in 1837. Cestrum elegans was originally named by Adolphe Theodore de Brongniart as Habrothamnus elegans. An official name change to Cestrum elegans took place by Diederich Franz Leonhard von Schlechtendal a German botanist, in 1846 to fit current naming standards. Cestrum elegans was first introduced to Europe as an ornamental plant in 1840. Propagate by cuttings of half-ripe shoots in summer and root with slight bottom heat. Grow in rich, light soil. Requires moist soil; if potted, water every few days, but no more than twice a week. Soil needs to remain moist but not water-logged. Seeds are dispersed via birds and forms of soil movement including flooding. Enjoys half-sun, half-shaded areas and will require pruning to encourage growth and strength. Overwinter in a cool spot exposed to a lot of sun.