Cestrum diurnum L.

• Authority

  Britton, Nathaniel L. Flora Borinqueña.

• Family

  Solanaceae

• Scientific Name

  Cestrum diurnum L.

• Description

  Species Description - An attractive shrub, with fragrant, clustered, white flowers, frequent, or occasional on banks and along roads at lower elevations in Porto Rico, and planted in gardens; it appears as if introduced, and we so regard it. The geographic distribution of the species is through Santo Domingo (and Haiti), Cuba, Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, and Mexico, and it has been introduced into southern Florida. Cestrum diurnum (day-blooming, as compared with Cestrum nocturnum, Dama de noche, Lady of the Night, also introduced into Porto Rico) is a shrub from 1 to 2 meters high, smooth, or the slender twigs and the flower-clusters somewhat hairy. The oblong, or elliptic, light green, thin, pointed leaves are from 6 to 11 centimeters long, with slender stalks from 3 to 12 millimeters long. The long-stalked clusters of flowers are about as long as the upper leaves, or shorter, the individual flowers stalkless; the bell-shaped calyx is about 3 millimeters long, the white corolla from 12 to 18 millimeters long, with short, ovate or oblong lobes. The black, ellipsoid, or globose berries are 6 or 7 millimeters long. For an account of the genus Cestrum we refer to our description of Cestrum laurifolium.

• Discussion

  Dama de dia Honeysuckle Cestrum Family Solanaceae Potato Family Cestrum diurnum Linnaeus, Species Plantarum 191. 1753.