Cestrum
Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- SES-trum
- This plant has low severity poison characteristics.
- See below
- Description
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Cultivated from Cestrum diurum and Cestrum noctornum, Orange Peel is a sprawling shrub with tubular flowers that put on a show from spring until the first frost. Odorless during the daytime, the flowers will give off a fragrance during the evening and nighttime hours.
Growing to a height of up to 6' tall and 7' wide, in the southernmost portion of the US it will remain an evergreen through the winter months. It will not reach its full height and width in locations that are not considered tropical or semi-tropical, but will quickly grow as a perennial and reach 4' tall during the growing season. It will die back to the ground as the first frost hits. Placement of a loose mulch around the base of the plant will protect it through the winter months in preparation for its spring regrowth. In the most northern portion of the US, they are often grown as an annual and due to its limited summer growth, can be grown in containers.
Its showy flowers are tubular, greenish-white, greenish yellow, or cream-colored and attract a wide variety of pollinators including hummingbirds, butterflies and bees, while deer are repelled by the toxicity of the foliage and flowers.
Once established, it is moderately drought resistant.
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No serious issues.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Juniper Level Botanic Garden: Souto Sun Garden
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Cestrum
- Family:
- Solanaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- Used in the landscape.
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Woody
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Stem Cutting
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Florida to Tropical America
- Wildlife Value:
- Caterpillars of several Lepidoptera species use this plant as a food source.
- Play Value:
- Attractive Flowers
- Attracts Pollinators
- Buffer
- Colorful
- Easy to Grow
- Screening
- Wildlife Food Source
- Edibility:
- Fruit
- Dimensions:
- Height: 2 ft. 0 in. - 6 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 3 ft. 0 in. - 7 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Annual
- Edible
- Perennial
- Poisonous
- Shrub
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Broadleaf Evergreen
- Habit/Form:
- Dense
- Erect
- Rounded
- Spreading
- Growth Rate:
- Rapid
- Maintenance:
- Low
- Texture:
- Medium
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Alkaline (>8.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Available Space To Plant:
- 3 feet-6 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Purple/Lavender
- Red/Burgundy
- White
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Edible
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Fruit Type:
- Berry
- Fruit Length:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- The fruit is a small, purple or white berry that matures in September.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Cream/Tan
- Gold/Yellow
- Green
- Orange
- Pink
- White
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Panicle
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Fragrant
- Long Bloom Season
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Fall
- Spring
- Summer
- Flower Shape:
- Tubular
- Flower Petals:
- 4-5 petals/rays
- Flower Size:
- 1-3 inches
- Flower Description:
- Clusters of tubular, orange, greenish-white, greenish yellow, or cream flowers are aromatic during the nighttime hours
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Broadleaf Evergreen
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Lanceolate
- Leaf Margin:
- Entire
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Its leaves are alternate, simple, with a smooth-margin.
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Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Container
- Meadow
- Patio
- Recreational Play Area
- Slope/Bank
- Walkways
- Landscape Theme:
- Butterfly Garden
- Children's Garden
- Cottage Garden
- Nighttime Garden
- Pollinator Garden
- Design Feature:
- Accent
- Barrier
- Border
- Mass Planting
- Small groups
- Specimen
- Attracts:
- Bees
- Butterflies
- Hummingbirds
- Pollinators
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Deer
- Heat
- Humidity
- Rabbits
- Problems:
- Poisonous to Humans
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Poisonous to Humans:
- Poison Severity:
- Low
- Poison Symptoms:
- TOXIC ONLY IF LARGE QUANTITIES EATEN. Headache, dizziness, hallucinations, nausea, vomiting, bloody diarrhea, muscular spasms and nervousness, high temperature, salivation and sweating, paralysis and coma.
- Poison Toxic Principle:
- Solanine-type glyco-alkaloids and atropine-like alkaloids
- Causes Contact Dermatitis:
- No
- Poison Part:
- Fruits
