CSIR-NEERI Biodiversity Portal

PARIJAT

Nyctanthes arbor-tristis

Botanical name	: Nyctanthes arbor-tristis
Synonym	: Nactanthes dentate Blume
Vernacular name	: Harshingar /Parijat / Coral jasmine
Family	: Oleaceae
About the Tree	: A small deciduous tree with drooping 4 angled branchlets. It produces the most exquisitely scented flowers in great abundance towards the end of rains.
Height	: 10 m tall
Bark	: Bark pale or dark grey in colour, sometimes greenish, rough and wrinkled but not deeply fissured.
Leaf	: Leaves in opposite pairs, simple, 6-12 cm long and 2-6.5 cm broad, with an entire margin, dark green, very rough on upper surface, paler and hairy below, margins often large with distant teeth with pointed apex.
Flower	: Flowers are highly fragrant, with a 5-8 lobed white corolla with an orange-red centre; they are produced in clusters of 2-7 together, with individual flowers opening at dusk and finishing at dawn
Fruits	: Fruits are flat, heart-shaped to round capsule, 2 cm in diameter, bright green at first and later turned brown with two sections each containing a single seed.
Season	: Leaves shed in February or March and renewed in June-July. Flowering occurs in August with peak in September-October. Fruit ripen in December - January.
Medicinal Properties Peculiar Character	: Its seeds, leaves and flowers are used to treat wide range of ailments from intestinal worms, fungal infection, respiratory problems, snakebite, and gout. Also have antibacterial, anti inflammatory properties. : Widely cultivated as a garden ornamental for its flowers.