Cestrum

A red shower of mystical tubular flowers

When nicknames were being handed out, Cestrum was definitely at the front of the queue: lady of the night, night jasmine, Raat ki Rani and red rain. It’s a little mysterious, has intense colours and unusual tubular flowers. On its own in a vase or incorporated in a bouquet, Cestrum makes a statement! This exotic beauty is the perfect addition to your spring bouquet. Do be careful with children and pets though - every part of this sparkling red rain is poisonous.

Colours and shapes

Whilst we love its beauty, the plant is viewed as a weed in South and Central America. That’s no surprise, because at the end of the branch there are attractive clusters of tubular flowers ranging from dark pink to almost black and green and white. The enchanting clusters can grow so big that it causes the branches to bend. A surfeit of beauty! The branches have dark green velvety leaves.

Symbolism

There are no available symbologies or myths about Cestrum. Now it seems logical but then switch to the symbolism of jasmine, since one of the nicknames is night jasmine. But, alas, only in name, they have a resemblance. Therefore instead look for the symbolism of color. For example, red means love, vigor, passion, romance, temptation and decadence.

Origin

Cestrum was discovered at the end of the 19th century in the West Indies. Nowadays, the flowers come from Israel, which is home to this flower’s only nursery. In the wild you only encounter them in Central and South America but luckily you can almost certainly find them at your local florist.