Family: Rutaceae
Common name: Orange jasmine, Orange jessamine, Mock orange, China box, Satinwood, Mock lime, Chalcas, Kamini, Burmese boxwood, Maramulla
Orange jasmine plants are really good hedge plants since their thickly branched stems give privacy as well as protection. They are native to Asian countries, growing and thriving in warm, moist weather.
Plant Characteristics
These beautiful, evergreen plants can grow to a height of 5-7 meters, almost as tall as a small tree. They can be trimmed into desired shapes once the plants reach 1-2 meters.
Orange jasmine plants are native to Asia and Australia, but their sturdy nature and beautiful flowers have made them garden favourites all over the world, especially in tropical countries.
These plants have woody, pale-brown stems and dark green leaves. The leaves are dark green, glossy, 3-5 cm long, and oval in shape with a smooth outline.
What makes the Orange jasmine special and also gives it the name, are the lovely, creamy-white, waxy flowers that have a sweet fragrance of oranges.
These flowers are formed in loose clusters, sometimes having as many as 30 flowers in a bunch. Orange Jasmine flowers have five petals that are folded outwards with prominent stamens in the center.
The fragrance of these flowers attract pollinators like bees, butterflies, insects, and small birds into the garden. Once pollinated, they form orange-red berries that are about 1 cm in diameter, and contain hairy seeds.
Gardening Tips
Orange jasmine plants need bright sunlight for flowering, and regular watering. They are quite sturdy, tolerant of drought, weather fluctuations, and poor soil conditions.
This makes them ideal as strong, bushy hedges that can be neatly trimmed each season. Trimming makes the plants grow evenly and produce more flowers.
These plants are pest-resistant, growing and flowering well throughout the year, except during winter. They can even be grown in temperate climates though they would have to be brought indoors during snowy weather and kept near a sunny window.
Orange jasmine plants are closely related to Curry leaf plants or Murraya koenigii with similar leaves, flowers, and seeds. Though the fruits look like citrus fruits, and the flowers smell like oranges, they are not related to citrus plants.
These plants can be grown in pots for a fairly long time, repotting occasionally to make sure that the plant does not become too heavy for the pot. They take 3-4 years to become fully-grown.
Uses of Orange Jasmine
Orange Jasmine plants are mostly grown as ornamentals in home gardens, trimmed as showpieces, or as hedge plants.
Parts of the plant are used in the treatment of body pain, cuts, sprains, fever, diarrhea, toothache, stomach ailments, and even snake bites. But as always, it is dangerous to self-medicate with any part of plants, since many common garden plants have some toxicity.
Propagation
Propagation is through seeds, or stem cuttings which root well in soil.
Photographed at: Chalakudy, Thrissur; Kammanahalli, Bangalore; Nandi hills area, Bangalore
