Hibiscus Jelly

Nyctanthes arbortristis commonly known as Coral jasmine or parijat is actually the night-flowering jasmine belonging to the plant family Oleaceae or Nyctanthaceae. The plant is native to South Asia, Southeast Asia and is found in tracts of Jammu & Kashmir, Nepal to East of Assam, Bengal, Tripura extended through the Central region up to Godavari in the South. Besides India, they are found in Thailand, Indonesia, Nepal and Pakistan. The tree is sometimes called the “tree of sorrow”, because the flowers lose their brightness during daytime. The scientific name arbor-tristis also means “sad tree”. Few of the popular common names of the plant are night-flowering Jasmine, Tree-of-Sorrow, Tree of Sadness, and coral jasmine, Night Jasmine, Sad Tree, Parijat, Lover’s Tree, Har Singar and Queen of the Night.

According to folklore, a princess “Parijataka”, who was in love with the Sun tried to win the heart of the Sun. When he rejected her, she committed suicide and a tree sprung from her ashes. Unable to stand the sight of her lover, the tree flowers only at night and sheds them like tear drops before the sun rises. It is believed that Parijat (Nyctanthes arbor-tristis) is one of the five trees that exist in heaven. Latin name Nyctanthes has been coined from two Greek words Nykhta (Night) and anthos (flower). The specific name ‘arbor-tristis’ meaning ‘the sad tree’ is supposedly derived from dull looks of the tree during daytime.