| Nyctanthes arbor-tristis | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Oleaceae |
| Genus: | Nyctanthes |
| Species: | N. arbor-tristis |
| Binomial name | |
| Nyctanthes arbor-tristis | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
Nyctanthes arbor-tristis is a species ofNyctanthes native toSouth Asia andSoutheast Asia.[2][3][4][5] It is commonly known asnight-blooming jasmine, tree of sadness, tree of sorrow, hengra bubar, coral jasmine,[6] asseri gading in Singapore and asshiuli in the Bengal region.[7] Despite its common name, the species is not a"true jasmine" and not of the genusJasminum.
The tree is called the "tree of sorrow" because the foliage becomes droopy as blooming flowers fall off during early morning.[8] The Latin specific epithetarbor-tristis means "sad tree".[8] In India and Nepal,Nyctanthes arbor-tristis is known as pārijāta (पारिजात). In other Indian languages, it is known assephalika (Sanskrit),pavalamallikai (Tamil),parijata (Kannada),pavizamalli (Malayalam), andsiharu.[9] In Malaysia it is known asseri gading and in China it is referred to asnai hua orhung mo li.[9]
Nyctanthes arbor-tristis is ashrub or a small tree growing to 10 m (33 ft) tall, with flaky grey bark. The leaves are opposite, simple, 6–12 cm (2.4–4.7 in) long and 2–6.5 cm (0.79–2.56 in) broad, with an entire margin. The flowers are fragrant, with a five- to eight-lobed whitecorolla with an orange-red centre; they are produced in clusters of two to seven together, with individual flowers opening at dusk and finishing at dawn. Thefruit is a bilobed, flat brown heart-shaped to roundcapsule 2 cm (0.79 in) diameter, each lobe containing a singleseed.[4][5]
N. arbor-tristis is native to Indo-China, Himalaya and Sumatera to Jawa.[10] It grows in dry deciduous forests and hillsides.[11]
The leaves have been used inAyurvedic medicine andHomoeopathy forsciatica,arthritis, andfevers, and as alaxative.[12] An orange dye from the corolla, nyctanthin, is used to dye silk.[13] In India, flowers are used to make garlands and used for worship.[8]
The flower ofNyctanthes arbor-tristis is the officialstate flower of the Indian state ofWest Bengal and is calledshiuli orshephali inBengali.[13] Theshiuli (Bengali: শিউলি) flowers bloom during the autumn season inBengal and are offered to the goddessDurga at the festival ofDurga Puja. Many Durga Puja songs and poems mention the flower.
The native people of the Indian state ofTripura use the plant to help predict weather and rainfall.[14]
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Theparijata is a divine tree featured in Hindu history.[15] TheMahabharata and thePuranas describe theparijata tree, as one of five trees, to have emerged during the legend of theSamudra Manthana.[16]Krishna is described to have battled withIndra to uproot theparijata from his capital ofAmaravati and plant it in his own city ofDvaraka.[15] In regional tradition,Satyabhama grew aggrieved when Krishna offered his chief consortRukmini a parijata flower. To placate her envy, Krishna confronted Indra and had theparijata tree planted near Satyabhama's door. Despite having the tree planted near her dwelling, the flowers of the tree fell in the adjacent backyard of Rukmini, the favourite wife of Krishna, because of her superior devotion and humility.[17][18]
The tree is the subject of a work namedParijatapaharanamu inTelugu literature, written byNandi Thimmana, the court-poet ofKrishnadevaraya.[15] The poetKalidasa sings about the flower in his Sanskrit poemRitu samhara.[8]
