| Gardenia jasminoides | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Gentianales |
| Family: | Rubiaceae |
| Genus: | Gardenia |
| Species: | G. jasminoides |
| Binomial name | |
| Gardenia jasminoides | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
List
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Gardenia jasminoides, commonly known asgardenia andcape jasmine,[2] is anevergreenflowering plant in the coffee familyRubiaceae. It is native to thesubtropical and northerntropical parts of theFar East. Wild plants range from 30 centimetres to 3 metres (about 1 to 10 feet) in height. They have a roundedhabit with very dense branches with opposite leaves that are lanceolate-oblong, leathery or gathered in groups on the same node and by a dark green, shiny and slightly waxy surface and prominent veins.
With its shiny green leaves and heavily fragrant white summer flowers, it is widely used in gardens in tropical, subtropical, and warmtemperate climates. It also is used as ahouseplant in temperate climates. It has been in cultivation in China for at least a thousand years, and it was introduced toEnglish gardens in the mid-18th century. Many varieties have been bred forhorticulture, with low-growing, and large, and long-flowering forms.
Gardenia jasminoides is ashrub that ranges from 30 cm to 3 m (1–10 ft) high in the wild, with cylindrical to flat branches that at first are covered withcaducous hairs that fall early, leaving the branch smooth. The leaves arein opposite pairs or rarely in groups of three along the branches. They are either subsessile (almost without a petiole) or on short 0.5–1 centimetre (0.2–0.4 inches) petioles. The leaves themselves are 3–25 cm (1.2–9.8 in) long by 1.5–8 cm (0.6–3.1 in) wide and can be oblong-lanceolate, obovate-oblong, obovate, oblanceolate, or elliptic in shape. Theirupper surface is smooth and shiny, or slightly hairy along the primary veins, while theundersurface is sparsely hairy to smooth. Each leaf has 8 to 15 pairs of secondary veins. The flowers are solitary and terminal, arising from the ends of the stems.[3]
The white flowers have a matte texture, in contrast to the glossy leaves. They gradually take on a creamy yellow color and a waxy surface. They can be quite large, up to 10 cm (4 in) in diameter, loosely funnel-shaped, and there aredouble-flowered forms. Blooming in summer and autumn, they are among the most strongly fragrant of all flowers. They are followed by small and oval fruits.[4]
The flowers of jasmine gardenia are all simultaneous hermaphrodites.
German-Dutch botanistGeorg Rumphius had seenGardenia jasminoides on the island of Amboina (Ambon), noting in hisHerbarium Amboinense around 1700 that it was a "delightful ornament" calledcatsjopiri orcatsjopiring in Malay. He reported that it had been imported there from Batavia (Jakarta).[5][6] Swedish taxonomistCarl Linnaeus recognized the value of Rumphius' work and assigned his student Olaf Stickman to study it. Stickman's dissertation was printed in 1754.[7] He subsequentlydescribed the species asVarneria augusta in 1759.[8]
English naturalistJohn Ellis describedGardenia jasminoides in 1761,[9] having realised on dissecting the flower that it was not closely related to jasmine and warranted a new genus. He had initially proposedWarneria after the original plant's owner in England. However, Warner declined to have it named for him and so Ellis choseGardenia to honour Scottish naturalistAlexander Garden.[10] Ellis had also proposedAugusta as a generic name, which Linnaeus rejected.[11] It gained its association with the namejasmine when botanist and artistGeorg Dionysius Ehret depicted it. Ehret queried whether it was a jasmine because the flowers resembled the plant. The name stuck and lived on as common name and scientific epithet.[9]
Linnaeus gave it the nameGardenia florida in 1762 in the second edition of hisSpecies Plantarum.[12] American botanistElmer D. Merrill followed Stickman withGardenia augusta in 1917;[7] however, Rumphius' original work was later deemed insufficient to describe the species, so these names arenomina nuda.[13]
Also based on Rumphius' work, Swedish naturalistCarl Peter Thunberg gave it the nameGardenia radicans in his 1780 work on the genus entitledDissertatio botanica de Gardenia.[14] London nurserymanConrad Loddiges described a form he had in cultivation asGardenia angustifolia in 1821, holding it to be distinct on the basis of its narrow leaves.[15]
Gardenia jasminoides is highly variable inmorphology, particularly in the sizes of leaves, calyx lobes and corollas in different populations. This has led to Chinese authorities describing several varieties that are not accepted elsewhere. W.C. Chen gave the nameG. jasminoides var.fortuneana to a large double-flowered sterile form that does not produce seed and is widely cultivated.[3]
The common names cape jasmine and cape jessamine derive from the earlier belief that the flower originated inCape of Good Hope,South Africa.[9] Other common names includedanh-danh and jasmin.[2]
Gardenia jasminoides is native to southernEast Asia,mainland Southeast Asia, and northeasternSouth Asia, including Bangladesh, Cambodia, East Himalaya, Hainan, Japan, Laos, mainland China, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam,[1] where its native habitat is forest and undergrowth along streams, and on sloping and hilly terrain to an altitude of 1,500 metres (4,900 feet).[3] The species has been introduced to other areas with suitable climate and habitat, includingCaroline Islands,Comoros, Korea,Marianas,Marshall Islands,Society Islands andTubuai Islands.[1]
Evidence ofG. jasminoides in cultivation in China dates to theSong dynasty (960–1279 AD), where both single- and double-flowered forms have been depicted in paintings, such as those of the Song emperorHuizong,[16] and the tenth-century artist Xu Xi.[17] TheYuan dynasty (1271–1368) saw it onlacquerware, and theMing dynasty on porcelain (1368–1644).[18] Calledzhi-zi in traditional Chinese medicine, it was a folk remedy for jaundice, oedema and fevers.[3] English statesmanSir John Barrow saw gardenias in nurseries inGuangzhou, China, in 1794.[18]
G. jasminoides came to Europe via theCape Colony in southern Africa, which had been founded in 1652 as a way-station between the Netherlands and Asia. There, Daniel Des Marets, Superintendent of the Dutch estates ofWilliam III, collected material that ended up in the herbarium of English naturalistHans Sloane in the 1680s.[5] Swedish naturalistDaniel Solander reported that the living species was brought to the United Kingdom (UK) from the Cape Colony in 1744 on the British East India ShipGodolphin by Captain William Hutchenson, who gave it to botanistRichard Warner of Woodford Row, Essex.[5][19] The plant reportedly remained in flower for much of voyage.[11] Warner, however, was unable to propagate it until the botanistJohn Ellis recommended James Gordon, a gardener atMile End.[10] Gordon was successful in August 1757, and plants sold well thereafter.[9] Each cutting-grown plant fetched fiveguineas.[10] Gardenias were first grown in the United States in 1762, in Garden'sCharleston garden. He had moved there 10 years previously.[20]
In cultivation in the UK,Gardenia jasminoides has gained the Royal Horticultural Society'sAward of Garden Merit.[21][22] Highly regarded for its fragrant summer flowers and attractive foliage, it is used as a specimen feature or as a hedging or screening plant.[4]
Widely used as a garden plant in warm temperate and subtropical gardens,[23]Gardenia jasminoides is hardy inUSDA hardiness zones 8 to 10,[4] or zone H1C in the UK (outdoor temperatures above 5 °C (41 °F)).[21] It requires good drainage and a location in a sunny or part-shaded location, and it prefers anacidic soil with a pH between 5.0 and 6.5.[23] In temperate latitudes, gardenias are usually cultivated as houseplants or in greenhouses.[24] If the soil is not acidic enough, many of its nutrients (especially iron compounds) will not be available for the plant, since they will not dilute in water, so will not be absorbed by the roots. When this happens, gardenias start to developchlorosis with the main symptom of a yellowing of the leaves.[25]Iron chelate can be added to the soil to lower the pH, maybe recurrently if the water supply ishard.[24]
Manycultivars have been developed, and double-flowered forms are most popular.Gardenia 'Radicans' is a low-growing groundcover which reaches 15–45 cm (6–18 in) and spreads up to a metre wide, whileG. 'Fortuniana' andG. 'Mystery' are double-flowered cultivars.[4] The former was sent by Scottish botanistRobert Fortune in 1844 to theRoyal Horticultural Society in London.[18] The latter has a large upright habit and has been a popular variety forhedging. It reaches 1.8 to 2.5 m (6 to 8 ft) high and wide.[23] Unlike other varieties,G. 'Golden Magic' bears flowers which change to a golden yellow relatively early after opening white. It grows to 1.5 m (5 ft) high and 1 m (3.5 ft) wide.[26]
Gardenia 'Aimee' is an early-flowering (spring) form.[27] Cultivars such asG. 'Shooting Star' andG. 'Chuck Hayes' are more cold-hardy, roughly toZone 7.[clarification needed][28][29]G. 'Kleim's Hardy' is a dwarf form to 1 m high and wide with star-shaped flowers, it is tolerant to Zone 7.[clarification needed][30]G. 'Crown Jewel' is a hybrid fromG. 'Kleim's Hardy' crossed withG. 'Chuck Hayes' that can grow in sheltered locations in Zone 6.[clarification needed] It grows to 1 m high by 1.5 m wide (3 ft by 5 ft).[31]G. 'Summer Snow' is (Patent number PP22797) a cultivar tolerant to USDA Zone 6 that grows to 1.5 m (5 ft) high with flowers to 11 cm (4.5 in) diameter.[32]
Gardenia flowers can be eaten raw, pickled, or preserved in honey.[citation needed] In China, the petals are used in tea for their aroma, while a yellow-red dye used in textiles and sweets has been extracted from the pulp of the fruit.[5]Gardenia jasminoides fructus (fruit) is used intraditional Chinese medicine to "drain fire" and treat certainfebrile conditions. It has anti-inflammatory and antipyretic effects.[33]
Shishihakuhito is a Chinese herbal medicine mainly composed of gardenia fruit and is used to treatatopic dermatitis. It inhibitsImmunoglobulin E (IgE) mediated histamine release.[34]
In 2020, a case of someone who had developed blue-gray discoloration of the skin as a result of chronic intake of gardenia fruit extract was published.[35]
As of 2020[update], at least 162 compounds have been identified inGardenia jasminoides.[36] Theiridoidsgenipin andgeniposidic acid can be found inG. jasminoides fruit.[37]
Crocetin, a chemical compound usually obtained fromCrocus sativus, also can be obtained from the fruit ofGardenia jasminoides.[38] The fully matured fruit were found to containcrocin in a concentration of 4.5 mg of total crocetin derivatives per gram (dry weight), and can be used as a yellow dye[18] to color clothing and food.[39]
Gardenia flowers are commonly used as floral offerings atBuddhist temples inTropical Asia.[40]
The legs of seated-styleShogi andGo boards fromJapan are traditionally carved in the image of gardenia fruits. In theJapanese language, "gardenia" (kuchinashi, くちなし) is ahomophone of "no mouth" (kuchinashi, 口無し). This symbolizes that neither players nor spectators are allowed to speak during a game.[41]
Giving reference toMeitei KingKhagemba and theManipur Kingdom, the beauty and grace ofLei Kabok, also calledKabok Lei (Gardenia jasminoides[42]), is described by Meitei KingCharairongba, in his literary work, "Leiron" (Meitei:ꯂꯩꯔꯣꯟ) which is an account on the description of 100 flowers and orchids, endemic as well as exotic species inKangleipak,[43] as follows:
It is a flower that remains ever fresh as not eaten by worms and is fondly sought after in the four corners ofthe country, eight directions, nay in all quarters. It is distinct for its beautiful shape, its tender stalk and for its pure white colour. It is a flower once nurtured by KingKhagemba who preferred to take it with him even for his long home. It is a flower that comes handy to both boys and girls as a present of love. Such a luscious flower has blossomed forth in an unending array of white and definitely the season is of this flower.
— Leiron,Charairongba[44]
