Cestrum elegans

Red Cestrum, Purple Cestrum, Mexican Cestrum

Message of the Flower

Light in the Vital

The Mother’s Comment

One of the first steps on the long way.

Spiritual Message by the Mother/ Quotes by Sri Aurobindo

Light is not knowledge but the illumination that comes from above and liberates the being from obscurity and darkness.

Sri Aurobindo, Letters on Yoga - III: Light

Light is primarily a spiritual manifestation of the Divine Reality illuminative and creative; material light is a subsequent representation or conversion of it into Matter for the purposes of the material Energy.

Sri Aurobindo, The Life Divine - II: The Ascent towards Supermind

Our sense by its incapacity has invented darkness. In truth there is nothing but Light, only it is a power of light either above or below our poor human vision's limited range.

For do not imagine that light is created by the Suns. The Suns are only physical concentrations of Light, but the splendour they concentrate for us is self-born and everywhere.

God is everywhere and wherever God is, there is Light.

Sri Aurobindo, Essays Divine and Human: God: The One Reality

Colour

White to light purple, pale lavender

Family

Solanaceae

Person who named the flower

Nicolas Charles Seringe

Flower Size

About 1 inch long

Flower Texture

Smooth

Number of Petals

Five, fused into a tube

Floral Symmetry

Radial

Fragrance of Flower

Mildly fragrant, especially at night

Leaf Texture

Smooth

Leaf Arrangement

Alternate

Leaf Color

Dark green

Structural Variation (Shrub or Tree)

Shrub

Life Cycle

Perennial

Blooming Period

Throughout the year with peaks in summer and autumn

Climate

Mild to warm, not frost-hardy

Water Requirements

Moderate, well-drained soil

Soil Type

Well-drained, fertile, adaptable to various soil types

Temperature Ranges

Above freezing

Sun or Shade

Full sun to partial shade

Susceptibility to Insects and Diseases

Aphids, whiteflies, fungal diseases

Pollinators

Hummingbirds, bees

Habitat

Native to Mexico and Central America, cultivated in suitable climates

Role in the Ecosystem

Attracts and supports pollinators

Quotations

None noted

Ornamental

Used for its colorful flowers and appearance

Uses in Other Aspects of Life

Enhances gardens and landscapes

Endangered Status

Not endangered