Parijat / Coral Jasmine
Nyctanthes arbor-tristis
Also known as Night Jasmine, Arbor Tristis, Har Singar, Sad Tree, Tree Of Sadness, Tree Of Sorrow
- Habit
- Tree
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Telangana, Tamil Nadu & more
- Flowering
- September-April
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Nyctanthes arbor-tristis
- Genus
- Nyctanthes
- Family
- Oleaceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Habitat
- Open forests
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Distribution
- India, Nepal, Myanmar
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh
- Flowering & fruiting
- September-April
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Arrangement
- Opposite
Recorded for Parijat.
Flower & fruit characters
Typical of the Oleaceae family — flowering plants only; individual species can differ.
Local Names
- Hindi
- हरसिंगार Harsingar, केसर Kesar, नैपालि Naipali,पारिजात parijat
- Nepali
- पारिजात Parijat, पारिजात फूल
- Bengali
- হরসিঙ্গার Harsinghar, শেফালিকা Shephalika, শিউলি Shiuli, Shiuli
- Tamil
- சேடல் Cetal, சுபுட்பம் Cuputpam, சூதம் Cutam, பவிழ மல்லி
- Telugu
- బందెడ Bandeda, పగడపు జిట్ట Pagadapu Jitta, పారిజాతము Parijatamu, పారిజాతం
- Kannada
- ಹವಳಮಲ್ಲಿಗೆ Havalamallige, ಪಾರಿಜಾತ Parijata, ಪಾರಿಜಾತ
- Malayalam
- പാരിജാതം Paarijaatham, പവിഴമല്ലി Pavizhamalli, പവിഴമല്ലി
- Marathi
- पारिजातक Parijatak, प्राजक्त Prajakta, शिवळी Shivali, पारिजातक
- Sanskrit
- पारिजातः, paribhara, parijata
- Gujarati
- હારશિંગાર
- Sinhala
- සේපාලිකා
Parijat in India
Harsingar carpets the ground each morning with fallen fragrant flowers — हरसिंगार Harsingar (Hindi), சேடல் Cetal (Tamil), బందెడ Bandeda (Telugu), ಹವಳಮಲ್ಲಿಗೆ Havalamallige (Kannada), പാരിജാതം Paarijaatham (Malayalam), पारिजातक Parijatak (Marathi), the parijat of legend. Nyctanthes arbor-tristis is grown across Maharashtra, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh in gardens and temple yards.
Uses
The small white flowers with orange-red tubes open at night, drop by dawn, and are gathered for worship and garlands; the orange tube yields a traditional natural dye. The leaves and flowers have well-known attributed uses in Ayurveda — described for information, not advice.
How to Identify Parijat
A large shrub or small tree with rough, opposite leaves on quadrangular branchlets. The flowers are unmistakable: white five-to-eight-lobed corollas with a bright orange-red central tube, intensely fragrant, opening after dark and falling by morning.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Coral Jasmine called in different Indian languages?
- हरसिंगार Harsingar (Hindi); சேடல் Cetal (Tamil); బందెడ Bandeda (Telugu); ಹವಳಮಲ್ಲಿಗೆ Havalamallige (Kannada); പാരിജാതം Paarijaatham (Malayalam); पारिजातक Parijatak (Marathi); হরসিঙ্গার Harsinghar (Bengali); હારશિંગાર (Gujarati); पारिजातः (Sanskrit).
- Why do harsingar flowers fall in the morning?
- The flowers open at night and are short-lived — by dawn they drop, carpeting the ground, which is why it is called the night-flowering or 'tree of sorrow' jasmine.
- What is parijat used for?
- Its flowers are used in worship and garlands and yield a natural orange dye, while leaves and flowers have attributed uses in Ayurveda (not medical advice).
Oleaceae
Olive/Jasmine family
Parijat belongs to the Oleaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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Common plant problems
All plant problem & care guides →More in Oleaceae
View all Oleaceae →Sources: GBIF — Nyctanthes arbor-tristis (India distribution & vernacular names) (CC BY 4.0) · iNaturalist — Nyctanthes arbor-tristis (regional names, India observations) (CC BY 4.0) · Wikipedia — Nyctanthes arbor-tristis (background/comprehension only) (CC BY-SA 4.0)