The yesterday, today and tomorrow of agricultural development

Brunfelsia pauciflora belongs to the Solanaceae family, genus Brunfelsia, and is an evergreen dwarf shrub. It is an excellent potted flower for outdoor display in summer and indoor arrangement in winter in North China. Brunfelsia pauciflora grows 50 to 100 cm tall, with alternate single leaves. The flowers are mostly solitary, rarely several clustered together. The corolla is salverform with shallow lobes, flowering period from April to October, and a single flower stays open for about 5 days. The flowers are blue-purple when they first open, gradually turning lilac, and finally white. Because the flowers open at different times, blue-purple and white flowers can be seen on the same plant at the same time, so it is also called two-colored jasmine. Its English name means "yesterday, today, tomorrow", which vividly describes the special changes in its flower color.

Brunfelsia pauciflora

Morphological characteristics:

Perennial evergreen shrub, an excellent potted flower for outdoor display in summer and indoor arrangement in winter in North China. The plant is about 70-150 cm tall, and after dwarfing in pots, the plant height can be reduced to 30 cm-60 cm. The stem bark is dark brown or grayish white, with strong branching ability and longitudinally fissured periderm. Single leaves are alternate, long lanceolate or elliptic, apex acuminate, with short petioles, and the leaf surface is grass green. Leaves are 5-7 cm long and 1.7-2.5 cm wide, papery, green on the upper surface, yellow-green on the underside, and the leaf margin is slightly wavy.

Flowers are solitary or several clustered, sometimes several forming a cyme. The corolla is salverform with shallow lobes. The corolla diameter is 4 cm-5 cm, the calyx is tubular, and the stamens and pistils sit on the small hole in the center of the corolla. Flowers are solitary or 2-3 clustered in the leaf axils, salverform, with a five-lobed corolla and obvious serrations on the petals. When the flower bud is first about to open, it is mushroom-shaped and deep purple; when it first opens, it is blue-purple, then gradually becomes light lilac, and finally turns white. A single flower can stay open for 3 to 5 days. The fragrance is rich, and the scent is also different from ordinary jasmine fragrance.

Brunfelsia pauciflora

Growth habits:

Brunfelsia pauciflora is native to the tropics of Central America and South America, and prefers a warm, humid climate with sufficient light. Its cold tolerance is not strong, and the suitable growth temperature is 18-30°C, and it should not be lower than 10°C; it likes a semi-shaded, ventilated environment, and indoor cultivation requires at least 4 hours of light. Under sufficient sunlight, it blooms profusely; it tolerates semi-shade, tolerates drought, does not tolerate waterlogging, and does not tolerate poor and thin soil. When grown as a potted plant in greenhouses in East China and North China, it requires a fertile, loose, well-drained, slightly acidic soil substrate. In summer, it is often supplemented with alum fertilizer water so that the leaves remain dark green and glossy and the branches are lush and the flowers are abundant.

Brunfelsia pauciflora

Distribution:

Jasmine is native to the Jiangnan region and western regions of China; India and the Arabian region, with the central production area near the Persian Gulf, and is now widely cultivated in subtropical regions. It is mainly distributed in Iran, Egypt, Turkey, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, as well as Spain, France, Italy and other Mediterranean coastal countries, and is cultivated in India and various countries in Southeast Asia.

Ornamental value:

Brunfelsia pauciflora has brilliant flower colors and is fragrant. It is suitable for planting in garden green spaces and can also be placed as a potted plant for viewing. Brunfelsia pauciflora is highly ornamental, easy to cultivate and easy to propagate. Because of its different flowering periods, Brunfelsia pauciflora presents two colors of flowers on one tree and also has the fragrance of jasmine, thus becoming an important potted ornamental flower. Brunfelsia pauciflora has emerald green leaves, with purple, blue and white flowers interspersed, and a strong, rich fragrance. People often use it to decorate and beautify courtyards, balconies, windowsills, corridors and other places, elegant and pleasant.