El Palqui

The Cestrum elegans is a member of the Cestrum genus of plants and belongs to the Solanaceae family.  It is an evergreen bush native to Mexico that grows quickly up to 3.5 m high. Its scientific name comes from the Greek kestron (hammer), because of the shape of the corolla in some of the species, and elegans (the Latin word for “elegant”). The first record of its use in gardens in Granada dates back to 1920, when it was known as “Abrótano”. At that time it was recommended that it should only be grown in warm or protected places. Here we see it in a south-facing position in the mediaeval Garden of the Gallery, situated just below the Court of the Water-Channel in the Generalife. Although it has an unpleasant smell, its attractive flowers, which bloom over two extended periods (from mid-October to early March; and from May to the end of June), give the gallery a special, highly colourful appeal.