Vestia Willd. (1809), in the family Solanaceae, contains 1 species, V. foetida (Ruíz & Pavón) Hoffsgg., syn. V. lycioides Willd., in Chile.

Description Shrubs to 3.6m, with soft, green branches. The leaves are elliptic, alternate, evergreen, glabrous, foetid when crushed. The flowers are pale yellow, long-tubed, usually pendent. Sepals 5, joined at the base into a bell-shaped calyx. Petals 5, joined for most of their length into a greenish tube, with triangular tips. Stamens 5, attached to the inside of the tube, exserted from the flower. Ovary superior, 2-celled, with numerous ovules per cell; style 1, simple, slender. Pollination is by insects and hummingbirds. The fruits are yellow capsules with numerous seeds.

Key Recognition Features The tubular, yellow flowers with exserted stamens and green stems.

Evolution and Relationships Most closely related to Cestrum, but with capsules rather than berries.

Ecology and Geography In scrub from Valparaiso to Valdivia
in Chile.

Comment Only V. foetida is cultivated, and it survives longest in mild maritime gardens with good drainage. The genus is named after L.C. de Vest (1776–1840) a professor at Graz University in Austria.