Vespertine is a term used in the life sciences to indicate something of, relating to, or occurring in the evening. In botany, a vespertine flower is one that opens or blooms in the evening. In zoology, the term is used for a creature that becomes active in the evening, such as bats and owls. Vespertine animals are frequently described as nocturnal, although this usage is not strictly correct.
The term vespertine is derived from the Latin word vesper, meaning evening. A synonym for vespertine used in both botany and zoology is crepuscular. However, crepuscular refers to both early morning and early evening.
List of common vespertine flowers
- Four O'Clock (Mirabilis jalapa)
- Night-blooming Cestrum (Cestrum nocturnum)
- Angel's trumpet (Brugmansia)
- Soapwort (Saponaria officinalis)
- Nicotiana or Woodland Tobacco (Nicotiana sylvestris)
- Nicotiana or Jasmine Tobacco (Nicotiana alata)
- Ten-week stock
- Night-scented stock (Matthiola bicornis)
- Single white petunias
- Devil's trumpet (Datura)
- Calypso (Hemerocallis)
- Echinopsis sp.
- Hemerocallis citrina
- Moonflower (Ipomoea alba)
- Silene or catchflies (Silene nutans)
- Silene or catchflies (Silene noctiflora)
- Silene or catchflies (Silene vespertina)
- Vesper campion (Lychnis vespertina)
- Evening primrose (Oenothera caespitosa)
- Evening primrose (Oenothera acaulis)
- Evening primrose (Oenothera biennis)
- Evening primrose (Oenothera californica)
- Evening primrose (Oenothera brachycarpa)
- Gladiolus tristis
- Nycterinia selaginoides
- Schizopetalon walkeri
See also
