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Glite Dictionary
Cestrum nocturnum

Cestrum nocturnum

9.9
A shrub with small white flowers that smell very strong at night
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Cestrum nocturnum
  • Many gardeners plant Cestrum nocturnum near patios to enjoy its fragrance after dusk.

Examples

  • The Cestrum nocturnum in my garden fills the air with scent every evening.

  • Botanists studied the pollinators attracted to the Cestrum nocturnum's night-blooming flowers.

  • The Cestrum nocturnum blooms beautifully at night.

  • Have you ever smelled the Cestrum nocturnum?

  • Many gardeners plant Cestrum nocturnum near patios to enjoy its fragrance after dusk.

  • The Cestrum nocturnum in my garden fills the air with scent every evening.

  • Botanists studied the pollinators attracted to the Cestrum nocturnum's night-blooming flowers.

Synonyms

night jessamine
vsCestrum nocturnum
  • UK
9.9

A small evergreen bush with white or yellow flowers that smell sweet at night

is the formal botanical name for that same shrub
night jasmine
vsCestrum nocturnum
7.7

A small bush that stays green all year with sweet white flowers that smell at night

is a common name used for the same plant rather than the formal label

Surface Forms

Cestrum nocturnum singular
Cestrum nocturnums plural

Morphology

Cestrum + nocturnum

The binomial is compositional: 'Cestrum' names a shrub genus and 'nocturnum' (cognate of English 'nocturnal') signals night-relatedness, so a learner who knows both constituents can infer a Cestrum that is active or flowering at night. Botanical Latin species epithets commonly describe salient features, and the root 'nocturn-' is cross-linguistically recognizable, making the meaning predictable for learners who know the parts.

Etymology

Cestrum nocturnum shows its habit in its name: the second word nocturnum means 'night', and its pale, funnel-shaped flowers open and give a strong scent after dark to attract moths. That's why people call it 'night-blooming jasmine' and plant it near patios to enjoy the evening smell.