Jasminum polyanthum
Encyclopedia
Jasminum polyanthum, also known as Pink Jasmine (or White Jasmine), is an evergreen twining climber
from China
. It produces an abundance of reddish-pink flower buds in late winter and early spring, followed by fragrant five-petalled star-like white flowers which are about 2 cm in diameter. It has compound leaves with 5 to 7 leaflets which are dark green on the upper surface and a lighter green on the lower surface. The terminal leaflet is noticeably larger than the other leaflets. The plant is very vigorous and can grow up to 6 metres in height when supported.
Depending on the climate, this vine has a semi-deciduous to evergreen foliage.
It was first described by Adrien René Franchet
in Revue Horticole 1891, 270.
: 8 - 11. It grows fast and easily, and flowers nicely. Outside it can be used to cover walls and fences etc. It can grow in sun and light shade as well. It is propagated by seed
and by suckers
.
Jasminum polyanthum was given the Award of Garden Merit
(AGM) by the RHS
in 1993. It was chosen on the Bicentenary list of 200 plants for the RHS:
“This popular houseplant is an easily-grown, evergreen, half-hardy climber with loose panicles in summer of many strongly-fragrant pink-backed, white, trumpet-shaped flowers. It does not suffer pest or disease problems and is simple to propagate.”
and New Zealand
. It can be regarded as an invasive species in these regions. This species of jasmine spreads rapidly as it can grow from any small section of stem material. The stems layer profusely and runners spread long distances. It is highly shade tolerant and can flower under a full canopy. It forms dense ground cover, preventing the growth of native seedlings, and smothers all other vegetation up to mid-canopy level. Spread into established forest, for instance in New Zealand, is rapid.
It can be controlled by cutting the stem and branches and applying herbicides to the cut surfaces. Chemical control of ground cover is advised.
Vine
A vine in the narrowest sense is the grapevine , but more generally it can refer to any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent, that is to say climbing, stems or runners...
from China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. It produces an abundance of reddish-pink flower buds in late winter and early spring, followed by fragrant five-petalled star-like white flowers which are about 2 cm in diameter. It has compound leaves with 5 to 7 leaflets which are dark green on the upper surface and a lighter green on the lower surface. The terminal leaflet is noticeably larger than the other leaflets. The plant is very vigorous and can grow up to 6 metres in height when supported.
Depending on the climate, this vine has a semi-deciduous to evergreen foliage.
It was first described by Adrien René Franchet
Adrien René Franchet
Adrien René Franchet was a French botanist, based at the Paris Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle. He is noted for his extensive work describing the flora of China and Japan, based on the collections made by Armand David, Pierre Jean Marie Delavay, Paul Guillaume Farges and others.-References:...
in Revue Horticole 1891, 270.
Culture
Jasminum polyanthum is well-known as a house plant in the USA and Europe. It can also grow in the garden, when climate conditions are good. USDA hardiness zonesHardiness zone
A hardiness zone is a geographically defined area in which a specific category of plant life is capable of growing, as defined by climatic conditions, including its ability to withstand the minimum temperatures of the zone...
: 8 - 11. It grows fast and easily, and flowers nicely. Outside it can be used to cover walls and fences etc. It can grow in sun and light shade as well. It is propagated by seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
and by suckers
Basal shoot
A basal shoot, root sprout, adventitious shoot, water sprout or sucker is a shoot or cane which grows from a bud at the base of a tree or shrub or from its roots. This shoot then becomes, or takes the form of, a singular plant. A plant that produces suckers is referred to as surculose...
.
Jasminum polyanthum was given the Award of Garden Merit
Award of Garden Merit
The Award of Garden Merit, or AGM, is an award made to garden plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society after a period of assessment by the appropriate committees of the Society...
(AGM) by the RHS
Royal Horticultural Society
The Royal Horticultural Society was founded in 1804 in London, England as the Horticultural Society of London, and gained its present name in a Royal Charter granted in 1861 by Prince Albert...
in 1993. It was chosen on the Bicentenary list of 200 plants for the RHS:
“This popular houseplant is an easily-grown, evergreen, half-hardy climber with loose panicles in summer of many strongly-fragrant pink-backed, white, trumpet-shaped flowers. It does not suffer pest or disease problems and is simple to propagate.”
Invasive species
Jasminum polyanthum is naturalized in AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. It can be regarded as an invasive species in these regions. This species of jasmine spreads rapidly as it can grow from any small section of stem material. The stems layer profusely and runners spread long distances. It is highly shade tolerant and can flower under a full canopy. It forms dense ground cover, preventing the growth of native seedlings, and smothers all other vegetation up to mid-canopy level. Spread into established forest, for instance in New Zealand, is rapid.
It can be controlled by cutting the stem and branches and applying herbicides to the cut surfaces. Chemical control of ground cover is advised.
Literature
- Department of Conservation - Plant me instead. Wellington (New Zealand) 2005. ISBN 047814007X
External links
- Jasminum polyanthum in Flora of China, Vol. 15, with illustration
- Herbarium specimen
- Jasminum polyanthum at www.esveld.nl
- Weeds of Blue Mountains Bushland (Australia): Jasminum polyanthum
- Jasminum polyanthum as a New Zealand weed
- Jasminum polyanthum in NZPCN (New Zealand Plant Conservation Network)