night jasmine

noun

1. Also called hursinghar, sad tree. Also called tree of sadness. a jasminelike, Indian shrub or small tree, Nyctanthes arbor-tristis, of the verbena family, having fragrant, white and orange flowers that bloom at night.

2. Also called night jessamine. a West Indian shrub, Cestrum nocturnum, of the nightshade family, having fragrant, creamy-white flowers that bloom at night.

Word History and Origins

Origin of night jasmine¹

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

Los Angeles has amazing smells: the ocean, the dust of the dry soil, night jasmine, cactus and desert blooms.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Scents range from the spicy cardamom and jasmine of the Phillip, recalling the night jasmine blooms outside the couple's home, to the fenugreek and vanilla inspired by Jay's love of sunny beach days.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Just as the night jasmine gives up its perfume to the night, so does an old house its past in the form of murmurs and crackings and memories and suggestions.

Read more on Project Gutenberg

The night jasmine, in full green, was not yet in blossom but it was visibly thinking of the spring.

Read more on Project Gutenberg

Besides, there's music, and there's the fragrance of night jasmine.

Read more on Project Gutenberg