Tuberose
Encyclopedia
The tuberose is a perennial plant
related to the agave
s, extracts of which are used as a middle note in perfume
ry. The common name derives from the Latin
tuberosa, meaning swollen or tuber
ous in reference to its root system. It consists of about 12 species
. Polianthes means "many flowers" in Greek language.
The tuberose is a night-blooming plant thought to be native to Mexico
along with every other species of Polianthes. The Aztec
s called it Omixochitl [oh me' zu che' tl] or bone flower.
It is a prominent plant in India
n culture and mythology. The flowers are used in wedding ceremonies, garlands, decoration and various traditional rituals. Its Hindi name is "Rajnigandha", though it is sometimes mistakenly referred to as "Raat ki Rani" ("Queen of the Night"), which is really Cestrum nocturnum
. The name Rajnigandha means "night-fragrant" (rajni=night; gandha=fragrance). In Bengali, it is called "Rajoni-Gandha", meaning "Scent of the Night". In Marathi, it is called "निशिगंध - NishiGhanda". In parts of South India, it is known as "Sugandaraja", which translates to "king of fragrance/smell". In Chinese, it is called WanXiangYu 晚香玉 ("night fragrant jade", meaning "flower as precious as jade and becoming fragrant at night), or YeLaiXiang 夜來香 ("fragrance that comes at night") or YueXiaXiang 月下香 ( "fragrance under the moon"). In Indonesia
it is called "bunga sedap malam", meaning night fragrant flower. In Tamil Nadu it is called as Sambangi or nilasambangi, in Andhra Pradesh it is called as "Sampangi" and traditionally used in all type of garlanding especially in south Indian marriages. In Cuba it is called "azucena" which is the name given to amaryllis in Mexico.
In Iran
the tuberose is known as "Gole Maryam" ("Mary flower") and the oil extracted from the flower is used as a perfume.
The tuberose is also used traditionally in Hawaii
to create leis and was considered a funeral flower in Victorian times. Its scent is described as a complex, exotic, sweet, floral.
In Taiwan, the tuberose has become a trendy food ingredient and can be found in many five-star hotels.
The tuberose grows in elongated spikes up to 45 cm (18 in) long that produce clusters of fragrant waxy white flower
s that bloom from the bottom towards the top of the spike. It has long, bright green leaves clustered at the base of the plant and smaller, clasping leaves along the stem.
Members of the closely related genus Manfreda
are often called "tuberoses".
Perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
related to the agave
Agave
Agave is a genus of monocots. The plants are perennial, but each rosette flowers once and then dies ; they are commonly known as the century plant....
s, extracts of which are used as a middle note in perfume
Perfume
Perfume is a mixture of fragrant essential oils and/or aroma compounds, fixatives, and solvents used to give the human body, animals, objects, and living spaces "a pleasant scent"...
ry. The common name derives from the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
tuberosa, meaning swollen or tuber
Tuber
Tubers are various types of modified plant structures that are enlarged to store nutrients. They are used by plants to survive the winter or dry months and provide energy and nutrients for regrowth during the next growing season and they are a means of asexual reproduction...
ous in reference to its root system. It consists of about 12 species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
. Polianthes means "many flowers" in Greek language.
The tuberose is a night-blooming plant thought to be native to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
along with every other species of Polianthes. The Aztec
Aztec
The Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the late post-classic period in Mesoamerican chronology.Aztec is the...
s called it Omixochitl [oh me' zu che' tl] or bone flower.
It is a prominent plant in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n culture and mythology. The flowers are used in wedding ceremonies, garlands, decoration and various traditional rituals. Its Hindi name is "Rajnigandha", though it is sometimes mistakenly referred to as "Raat ki Rani" ("Queen of the Night"), which is really Cestrum nocturnum
Cestrum nocturnum
Cestrum nocturnum is a species of Cestrum, native to the West Indies. Common names include Night-blooming Cestrum, Lady of the Night, Queen of the Night, Night-blooming jessamine, and Night-blooming Jasmine. Hasnuhana is another popular name for the plant in Bengali...
. The name Rajnigandha means "night-fragrant" (rajni=night; gandha=fragrance). In Bengali, it is called "Rajoni-Gandha", meaning "Scent of the Night". In Marathi, it is called "निशिगंध - NishiGhanda". In parts of South India, it is known as "Sugandaraja", which translates to "king of fragrance/smell". In Chinese, it is called WanXiangYu 晚香玉 ("night fragrant jade", meaning "flower as precious as jade and becoming fragrant at night), or YeLaiXiang 夜來香 ("fragrance that comes at night") or YueXiaXiang 月下香 ( "fragrance under the moon"). In Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
it is called "bunga sedap malam", meaning night fragrant flower. In Tamil Nadu it is called as Sambangi or nilasambangi, in Andhra Pradesh it is called as "Sampangi" and traditionally used in all type of garlanding especially in south Indian marriages. In Cuba it is called "azucena" which is the name given to amaryllis in Mexico.
In Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
the tuberose is known as "Gole Maryam" ("Mary flower") and the oil extracted from the flower is used as a perfume.
The tuberose is also used traditionally in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
to create leis and was considered a funeral flower in Victorian times. Its scent is described as a complex, exotic, sweet, floral.
In Taiwan, the tuberose has become a trendy food ingredient and can be found in many five-star hotels.
The tuberose grows in elongated spikes up to 45 cm (18 in) long that produce clusters of fragrant waxy white flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s that bloom from the bottom towards the top of the spike. It has long, bright green leaves clustered at the base of the plant and smaller, clasping leaves along the stem.
Members of the closely related genus Manfreda
Manfreda
Manfreda is a genus of about 20 species of flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Agavoideae. Along with Polianthes, members are commonly called tuberoses. Some authorities place Manfreda in genus Polianthes, while others group place both genera in Agave...
are often called "tuberoses".