Quote:
Originally Posted by estación seca
I have Cestrum parquii, mentioned in the list of saponin plants, if anbody wants a cutting. It and its relative C. nocturnum are known as night blooming jessamine here, and huile de la noche in Mexico. It's a tender evergreen shrub with a powerful sweet fragrance from the night-opening flowers, several times a year. Mine just finished flowering.
It's root hardy in metro Phoenix. Mine hasn't been frozen down to the ground for many years, and it just finished flowering. Now isn't the time to root them, however. I know they will flower in gallon containers, probably smaller as well.
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Yes that is an interesting saponin, they are very complex molecules that modern science cannot easily or cheaply make. I would like one! It would be interesting to make a crude extract and see how tolerant plants are to it as some saponins are harmful. Tea seed saponin from
Camellia oleifera is also widely studied in the literature (primarily China) for the purposes I'm suggesting here.
Quillaja saponins also integrate exceptionally well with things like neem oil because they act as a surfactant to increase spreadability but they also form stable nano-emulsions which allows pesticides to achieve much higher efficacy and delivery to pests. Neem oil has been sooo maligned because people have no idea about the science behind emulsions nor do they know how to source quality neem oil. So not only do these saponins have their own pest effects they increase the efficacy of other pesticides. But I digress... I'm a huge nerd when it comes to plant secondary compounds.