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| Jamaican Lady of the Night photo from www.Logees.com |
By Kim Willis These articles are copyrighted and may not be
copied or used without the permission of the author.
I like
houseplants that bloom, particularly fragrant bloomers. If you do too you may want to consider a
Jamaican Lady of the Night. This sensual
common name is also applied to other plants but the heady fragrance of
Brunfelsia jamaicensis makes the name very appropriate for this plant.
Jamaican
Lady of the Night has narrow, blade shaped, thick leaves. It is an upright, woody shrub that stays
small enough for pot culture (about 3 feet maximum) and blooms at a young age,
when plants are still small. Even when
not in bloom the plant makes an attractive house plant. It’s perennial, but not hardy except in the
most tropical climates- zone 10.
The
flowers of Jamaican Lady of the Night are 5 large, frilly, creamy white petals
flaring out at the end of a 6 inch long nectar tube. They put on quite a show
and deserve to be placed where everyone can admire them. For me it blooms in late summer through
fall. In some areas it will bloom from
early to mid-summer through fall. The
flowers have a heavenly scent, especially in the evening, which can perfume a
room. I can only speculate that a night
flying moth pollinates these plants in their native home in the Blue Mountains
of Jamaica. They are considered endangered
in their native country.
There
are other species of Brunfelsia but Brunfelsia
jamaicensis probably makes the best houseplant because of its compact size
and large flowers.
Care of Jamaican Lady of the Night
You’ll
want to start with a plant; the
plants are generally propagated by cuttings. Plants are relatively inexpensive and available through many tropical
plant nurseries. Plants grow quickly and
may bloom the same year purchased. A few
sources are; www.Almostedenplants.com
or www.Logees.com
or www.toptropicals.com.
or www.pernellgerver.com/ Jamaican Lady
of the Night can be grown from seeds, but seeds are rarely offered and a bit
tricky to germinate.
Jamaican
Lady of the Night needs good bright light inside, but not necessarily southern
exposure. My plant did well in a northern window last winter. In the summer they can go outside and they
really like outdoor vacations, but make sure you wait until temperatures have
warmed to staying above 50 degrees and put your plant in light shade, or where
it only gets sun in early morning or evening.
Jamaican
Lady of the Night likes temperatures to remain above 50 degrees; it’s said to
prefer warmer temperatures between 70-85 degrees in the daytime. I will say
that my house is 58 degrees at night and 66 degrees in the daytime in winter
and the plant does very well for me.
Humidity should be moderate to high, 50% or greater.
Any
good potting medium can be used and Jamaican Lady of the Night needs to be
slightly root bound to bloom well so don’t use too big of a pot for the plant
size. Let the potting medium dry
slightly between watering and make sure the plant is never waterlogged, good
drainage is vital.
Fertilize
lightly spring through fall about every 10 days. I use a water soluble plant food for blooming
houseplants. You can stop fertilizing in
the winter months.
The
plant can be pruned to shape after blooming stops. Plants bloom best on lateral branches so keep
the upright branches a moderate length and allow side branches to grow.
Jamaican
Lady of the Night has few insect pests; mealy bugs are the only greenhouse pest
mentioned in literature.
All
parts of the plant are poisonous if ingested.
The sap from pruning or broken foliage may cause a rash in some
people. Be wary of listed medicinal uses
for “Lady of the Night” as these usually are referring to other plants species
with this common name.
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