Read about Jasminum in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture
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Jasminium (Arabic name, from which have come Jessamine, Jasmin and Jasminum). Oleaceae. Jasmine. Jessamine. Climbing or erect shrubs, with attractive flowers, mostly very fragrant, prized for planting in mild climates and frequently grown under glass. Leaves opposite or alternate, pinnate but sometimes reduced to 1 lft.(petiole jointed): fls. on the ends of the branchlets, or twin, or in dichotomous cymes; corolla yellow or white, sometimes reddish, salver-shaped, the 4-9 or more lobes convolute in the bud, much exceeding the calyx; stamens 2, included in the corolla-tube; ovary 2-loculed, with 1-4 erect ovules: fr. a 2-lobed berry, or sometimes the carpels separate, the carpels mostly 2-seeded.—Probably upwards of 200 species, widely distributed in warm parts of Eu., Asia, Afr., and the Pacific region; nearly absent from Amer. The genus is closely allied to Ligustrum, but differs in the compound lvs. and twin-carpeled frs. Olea is also a related genus. Jasmines are of diverse horticultural groups. Some of them are hardy in the middle and southern states, whereas others are winter-flowering warmhouse plants. Most of them are known as coolhouse or temperate- house shrubs, of half-climbing habit. They are all of easy culture. They propagate readily by cuttings of nearly mature wood and by layers. The species are usually called jasmines although the word jessamine is really the same. J. officinale is the jessamine of poetry. Some of them (particularly J. grandiflorum) are grown for perfume-making. The Cape jessamine is Gardenia, although there is a Jasminum capense. Yellow or Carolina jessamine is Gelsemium. The hardiest kinds are J. humile, J. fruticans, J. floridum, J. nudiflorum, J. primulinum, J. officinale, but none of them is reliable north of Washington without protection, and even then only seldom north of Philadelphia. Index affice, 13. anastomosans, 2. angulare, 15. aureum, 17. azoricum, 12. beesianum, 11. capenae, 15. flarum, 20. floribundum, 14. floridum. 23. fruticans, 19. glabratum, 15. gracile, 1. gracillimum, 8. grandiflorum, 16. hirsutum, 7. humile, 20. ligustrifolium, 3. lucidum, 1. luleum, 19. maingayi. 10. multiflorum, 7. multipartitum, 4. nitidum, 9. nudiflorum, 17. odoratissimum, 22. officinale, 13. poeticum, 13. primulinum, 18. pubescens, 7. pubigerum, 21. reevesii, 20. revolutum, 20. rigidum, 3. sambac, 5. sieboldianum, 17. simplicifolium, 1. subulaium, 23. syriacum, 19. trifoliatum, 5. trinerve, 2. triumphans, 20. undulatum, 6. wallichianum, 20. J. auriculatum, vahl. scandent. pubescent or nearly glabrous: lvs. mostly simple but sometimes 3-foliolate and the lateral lfts. reduced to auricles: fls. white, in compound many-fld. cymes; corolla-tube 1/2in. or less long, the lobes elliptic and 1/4in. long. India. B.R. 264.—J. calcareum, Muell., is a spring- and summer- blooming Australian twining quite glabrous species with white fls. and simple, opposite, thick, 3- or 5-nerved lvs.—J. didymum, Forst. Climber: fls. small, white, in narrow axillary cymes which exceed the lvs.: lvs. opposite, ternate; Ifts. often retuse. Austral. B.M. 6349. Said to be an excellent warmhouse species.— J. Giroldii, Diels. Branches angled, hairy: lvs. alternate, 3-5-foli- olate; lfts. lanceolate, somewhat obtuse or apiculate, the terminal one longer: corymb terminal, about 3-5-fid.; calyx-segma, subulate, hispid: corolla yellow, the tube 6-8 times longer than calyx, the lobes apiculate. China. Allied to J. humile and J. pubigerum.— J. paniculalum. Roxbg. Evergreen climber, suitable for warmhouse: lvs. opposite, 3 foliolate: lfts. elliptic, obtuse: fls. white, in cymes: corolla-tube 1/2in. long. China. B.R. 690. L.B.C. 5:469.—J. polyanthum, Franch., a Chinese species in the way of J. grandiflorum, may be expected to appear in cult, in greenhouses. Fls. white inside, reddish outside, long-tubed, very fragrant: lvs. opposite, with about 5 long-acuminate lfts: sts. long and sarmentose. R.H. 1891, p. 270. L. H. B.
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 Jasminum polyanthum | ||||||||||||
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Jasmine or Jessamine (Jasminum) is a genus of shrubs and vines in the olive family (Oleaceae), with about 200 species, native to tropical and warm temperate regions of the Old World. The majority of species grow as climbers on other plants or on structures. The leaves can be either evergreen or deciduous, and are opposite in most species; leaf shape is simple, trifoliate or pinnate with up to nine leaflets.
Jasmine flowers are generally white, although some species have yellow flowers. Unlike most genera in the Oleaceae which have four corolla lobes ("petals"), jasmines often have five or six lobes. They are often strongly and sweetly scented. Flowering is in spring or summer in most species, but in a few species, notably J. nudiflorum, in winter on the bare branches of this deciduous species.
Other plants
Trachelospermum : (Confederate or star jasmine)
Gardenia jasminoides : (Cape jasmine)
Cestrum nocturnum : (Night blooming jasmine)
Gelsemium : (Carolina jasmine)
- Selected species
Cultivation and uses
Jasmines are widely cultivated for their flowers, enjoyed in the garden, as house plants, and as cut flowers. The flowers are worn by women in their hair in southern and southeast Asia. Some claim that the daily consumption of Jasmine tea is effective in preventing certain cancers. Many species also yield an absolute which is used in the production of perfumes and incense.
Jasmine tisane is consumed in China, where it is called Jasmine flower tea (茉莉花茶; pinyin: mò lì huā chá). Jasminum sambac flowers are also used to make tea, which often has a base of green tea, but sometimes an Oolong base is used. The delicate Jasmine flower opens only at night and is plucked in the morning when the tiny petals are tightly closed. They are then stored in a cool place until night. Between six and eight in the evening, as the temperature cools, the petals begin to open. Flowers and tea are "mated" in machines that control temperature and humidity. It takes four hours or so for the tea to absorb the fragrance and flavour of the Jasmine blossoms, and for the highest grades, this process may be repeated as many as seven times. Because the tea has absorbed moisture from the flowers, it must be refired to prevent spoilage. The spent flowers may or may not be removed from the final product, as the flowers are completely dry and contain no aroma. Giant fans are used to blow away and remove the petals from the denser tea leaves. If present, they simply add visual appeal and are no indication of the quality of the tea. Typically, Jasmine petals left in the tea are for export, whereas domestic Chinese tastes prefer the petals removed from the tea.
Jasminum sambac is also the National Flower of Indonesia, where it is known as "Melati", and of the Philippines, where it is known as "Sampaguita". In Indonesia (especially the island of Java), it is the most important flower in wedding ceremonies for ethnic Indonesians. Jasminum officinale is the national flower of Pakistan, where it is known as the "Chambeli" or "Yasmine". In Sanskrit it is called Mallika. Jasmine is cultivated at Pangala, in Karnataka, India, and exported to Middle East countriesTemplate:Fact.
J. fluminense is an invasive species in Hawaii, where it is sometimes known by the inaccurate name "Brazilian Jasmine". J. dichotomum is also invasive in Florida.
In Thailand, jasmine flowers are used as a symbol of the mother.