Japanese name: ヤコウボク（夜香木） Scientific name:Cestrum nocturnum
[Overview]
A semi-climbing evergreen shrub growing to about 3 m tall.
The branches are slender and branch freely.
Leaves are simple and alternate, narrowly lanceolate, 6–20 cm long and 2–4.5 cm wide, with a glossy upper surface.
The leaf margins are entire.
Conical racemes are produced in the leaf axils and at the stem tips.
The flowers are tubular, yellowish green, about 2–2.5 cm long and 1–1.3 cm across, and the tip of the corolla is 5-lobed.
The flowers give off a fragrance at night.
The fruit is a spherical berry.
[History]
It was introduced to Japan in the early Meiji period.
[Cultivation]
Propagate by cuttings.
It prefers sun to partial shade and moist, well-drained soil.
It drops its leaves in severe cold.
In a greenhouse it also flowers in winter.
From spring to autumn, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries; in winter, keep it on the dry side.
From spring to autumn, apply slow-release fertilizer placed on the soil.
Pests and diseases include scale insects and aphids.
