Common Name: orange jessamine
Type: Deciduous shrub
Family: Solanaceae
Native Range: Central America
Zone: 7 to 11
Height: 6.00 to 10.00 feet
Spread: 4.00 to 8.00 feet
Bloom Time: May to September
Bloom Description: Golden orange
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Medium
Suggested Use: Annual
Flower: Showy
Attracts: Hummingbirds, Butterflies
Fruit: Showy
Culture
Best grown in evenly moist, humusy, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. Hardy in Zones 7-11. May experience dieback during hard winters in Zones 7-8 but will regrow from the roots. Benefits from a generous layer of winter mulch in these Zones. Evergreen in frost-free areas. The size of this plant can easily be controlled with pruning.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Cestrum aurantiacum, commonly called orange jessamine, is an evergreen shrub native to Nicaragua and Guatemala. It is also widely grown as an ornamental and has escaped cultivation, becoming invasive in some areas of Africa, Asia, and Australia. Mature plants can take on a dense, well-branched, upright to arching habit and reach up 10' tall with a similar spread in tropical climates. Terminal clusters of gold-orange, tubular flowers bloom from spring through summer and attract hummingbirds, butterflies, and other insect pollinators. The blooms are followed by 0.5" diameter white berries.
Genus name is from the Greek name for the plant.
The specific epithet aurantiacum means "orange", in reference to the color of the blooms.
Problems
No major pest or disease problems reported.
Uses
This plant has a tendency to overtake a garden area if given good growing conditions and not properly managed. Can be trained to climb an arbor or trellis. Heavy pruning is recommended for smaller garden areas and more formal landscapes. Where not hardy, use as an annual in a bird garden or to add tropical interest to a mixed border.