Gardenia

Gardenia is a genus of flowering plants in the coffee family, Rubiaceae, native to the tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Asia, Madagascar and Pacific Islands,[1] and Australia.[2]

Gardenia
Gardenia jasminoides
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Gentianales
Family: Rubiaceae
Subfamily: Ixoroideae
Tribe: Gardenieae
Genus: Gardenia
J.Ellis
Species

See text.

The genus was named by Carl Linnaeus and John Ellis after Dr. Alexander Garden (1730–1791), a Scottish-born American naturalist.[3]

Description

Gardenias are evergreen shrubs and small trees growing to 1–15 metres (3.3–49.2 ft) tall. The leaves are opposite or in whorls of three or four, 5–50 centimetres (2.0–19.7 in) long and 3–25 centimetres (1.2–9.8 in) broad, dark green and glossy with a leathery texture.

The flowers are solitary or in small clusters, white, or pale yellow, with a tubular-based corolla (botany) with 5–12 lobes (petals) from 5 to 12 centimetres (2.0 to 4.7 in) diameter. Flowering is from about mid-spring to mid-summer, and many species are strongly scented.

Phytochemistry

Many of the native gardenias of the Pacific Islands and elsewhere in the paleotropics possess a diverse array of natural products. Methoxylated and oxygenated flavonols, flavones, and triterpenes accumulate on the vegetative- and floral-buds as yellow to brown droplets of secreted resin. Many focused phytochemical studies of these bud exudates have been published, including a population-level study of two rare, sympatric species of the Fiji Islands, G. candida and G. grievei.[4] The evolutionary significance of the gums and resins of gardenias in attracting or repelling invertebrate herbivores, has yet to be explored by ecologists.

Systematics

As of March 2014 The Plant List recognises 140 accepted species (including infraspecific names):[5]

  • Gardenia actinocarpa Puttock
  • Gardenia anapetes A.C.Sm.
  • Gardenia angkorensis Pit.
  • Gardenia annamensis Pit.
  • Gardenia aqualla Stapf & Hutch.
  • Gardenia archboldiana Merr. & L.M.Perry
  • Gardenia artensis Montrouz.
  • Gardenia aubryi Vieill.
  • Gardenia barnesii Merr.
  • Gardenia beamanii Y.W.Low
  • Gardenia boninensis (Nakai) Tuyama ex T.Yamaz.
  • Gardenia brachythamnus (K.Schum.) Launert
  • Gardenia brighamii H.Mann - Nānū (Hawaiʻi)
  • Gardenia buffalina (Lour.) Poir. in J.B.A.M.de Lamarck (= Genipa buffalina)
  • Gardenia cambodiana Pit.
  • Gardenia candida A.C.Sm.
  • Gardenia carinata Wall. ex Roxb. India, Malaya.
  • Gardenia carstensensis Wernham
  • Gardenia chanii Y.W.Low
  • Gardenia chevalieri Pit.
  • Gardenia clemensiae Merr. & L.M.Perry
  • Gardenia collinsae Craib
  • Gardenia colnettiana Guillaumin
  • Gardenia conferta Guillaumin
  • Gardenia cornuta Hemsl. (Natal gardenia). South Africa.
  • Gardenia coronaria Buch.-Ham.
  • Gardenia costulata Ridl.
  • Gardenia crameri Tirveng.
  • Gardenia cuneata Kurz
  • Gardenia dacryoides A.Cunn. ex Puttock
  • Gardenia deplanchei Vieill. ex Guillaumin
  • Gardenia dolichantha Merr.
  • Gardenia elata Ridl.
  • Gardenia epiphytica Jongkind
  • Gardenia erubescens Stapf & Hutch.
  • Gardenia esculenta Stokes
  • Gardenia ewartii Puttock
  • Gardenia faucicola Puttock
  • Gardenia fiorii Chiov.
  • Gardenia flava (Lour.) Poir. in J.B.A.M.de Lamarck (= Genipa flava)
  • Gardenia forsteniana Miq.
  • Gardenia fosbergii Tirveng.
  • Gardenia fucata R.Br. ex Benth.
  • Gardenia fusca Geddes
  • Gardenia gardneri Puttock
  • Gardenia gjellerupii Valeton
  • Gardenia gordonii Baker
  • Gardenia grandis Korth. - synonym of Ridsdalea grandis
  • Gardenia grievei Horne ex Baker
  • Gardenia griffithii Hook.f.
  • Gardenia gummifera L.f. India. Small tree, to 3 m high.
  • Gardenia hageniana Gilli
  • Gardenia hainanensis Merr.
  • Gardenia hansemannii K.Schum.
  • Gardenia hillii Horne ex Baker
  • Gardenia hutchinsoniana Turrill – Fiji
  • Gardenia imperialis K.Schum. Tropical Africa. Small tree to 12 m.
    • subsp. physophylla (K.Schum.) L.Pauwels
  • Gardenia invaginata Merr. & L.M.Perry
  • Gardenia ixorifolia R.Br. ex Hook.f.
  • Gardenia jabiluka Puttock
  • Gardenia jasminoides J.Ellis (Common gardenia, Cape jasmine or Cape jessamine). Southern China and Japan.
  • Gardenia kakaduensis Puttock
  • Gardenia kamialiensis Takeuchi
  • Gardenia lacciflua K.Krause
  • Gardenia lamingtonii F.M.Bailey
  • Gardenia lanutoo Reinecke
  • Gardenia latifolia Aiton India. Shrub or tree, 5–10 m high.
  • Gardenia leopoldiana De Wild. & T.Durand
  • Gardenia leschenaultii D.Dietr.
  • Gardenia magnifica Geddes
  • Gardenia mannii H.St.John & Kuykendall (Hawaiʻi)
  • Gardenia maugaloae Lauterb.
  • Gardenia megasperma F.Muell.
  • Gardenia mollis Schltr.
  • Gardenia moszkowskii Valeton
  • Gardenia mutabilis Reinw. ex Blume
  • Gardenia ngoyensis Schltr.
  • Gardenia nitida Hook.
  • Gardenia obtusifolia Roxb. ex Hook.f.
  • Gardenia ornata K.M.Wong
  • Gardenia oudiepe Vieill.
  • Gardenia ovularis F.M.Bailey
  • Gardenia pallens Merr. & L.M.Perry
  • Gardenia panduriformis Pierre ex Pit.
  • Gardenia papuana F.M.Bailey
  • Gardenia philastrei Pierre ex Pit.
  • Gardenia posoquerioides S.Moore
  • Gardenia propinqua Lindl.
  • Gardenia pseudoternifolia Valeton
  • Gardenia psidioides Puttock
  • Gardenia pterocalyx Valeton
  • Gardenia pyriformis A.Cunn. ex Benth.
    • subsp. keartlandii (Tate) Puttock
  • Gardenia racemulosa Korth.
  • Gardenia reinwardtiana Blume
  • Gardenia remyi H.Mann (Hawaiʻi)
  • Gardenia resinifera Roth (Brilliant gardenia, Cambi resin tree, or dikamali) India. Shrub or small tree, to 3 m high. (= G. lucida, Genipa resinifera)
  • Gardenia resiniflua Hiern (gummy gardenia). South Africa.
  • Gardenia resinosa F.Muell.
  • Gardenia rupicola Puttock
  • Gardenia rutenbergiana (Baill. ex Vatke) J.-F.Leroy (= Genipa rutenbergiana)
  • Gardenia saxatilis Geddes
  • Gardenia scabrella Puttock far north Queensland- used in amenities plantings in Cairns
  • Gardenia schlechteri Bonati & Petitm.
  • Gardenia schwarzii Puttock
  • Gardenia sericea Puttock
  • Gardenia similis (Craib) Craib
  • Gardenia siphonocalyx Valeton
  • Gardenia sokotensis Hutch.
  • Gardenia sootepensis Hutch.
  • Gardenia stenophylla Merr.
  • Gardenia stipulosa Zoll. & Moritzi
  • Gardenia storckii Oliv.
  • Gardenia subacaulis Stapf & Hutch.
  • Gardenia subcarinata (Corner) Y.W.Low
  • Gardenia succosa Baker
  • Gardenia taitensis DC. (Tahitian gardenia, Tiare māori in Tahitian, tiale in Samoan). Polynesia.
  • Gardenia tannaensis Guillaumin
  • Gardenia ternifolia Schumach. & Thonn. (Large-leaved Transvaal gardenia). Sudano-Zambezian savannas and woodlands.
    • var. goetzei (Stapf & Hutch.) Verdc.
    • subsp. jovis-tonantis (Welw.) Verdc. (= G. jovis-tonantis, Genipa jovis-tonantis)
  • Gardenia tessellaris Puttock
  • Gardenia thailandica Tirveng.
  • Gardenia thunbergia Thunb. (white gardenia, forest gardenia, or witkatjiepiering) South Africa. Shrub or small tree, 2–5 m high.
  • Gardenia tinneae Kotschy & Heuglin
  • Gardenia transvenulosa Verdc.
  • Gardenia trochainii Sillans
  • Gardenia tropidocarpa Wernham
  • Gardenia truncata Craib
  • Gardenia tubifera Wall. ex Roxb. (golden gardenia). Southeastern Asia. Small tree to 15 m high.
  • Gardenia urvillei Montrouz.
  • Gardenia vernicosa Merr. & L.M.Perry
  • Gardenia vilhelmii Domin
  • Gardenia vitiensis Seem. (Fijian gardenia) Fiji.
  • Gardenia vogelii Hook.f.
  • Gardenia volkensii K.Schum. (Transvaal gardenia or savanna gardenia). Tropical Africa.
    • var. saundersiae (N.E.Br.) Verdc.
    • subsp. spathulifolia (Stapf & Hutch.) Verdc.
  • Gardenia vulcanica K.M.Wong

Cultivation and uses

Gardenia plants are prized for the strong sweet scent of their flowers, which can be very large in size in some species.

Gardenia jasminoides (syn. G. grandiflora, G. Florida) is cultivated as a house plant. This species can be difficult to grow because it originated in warm humid tropical areas. It demands high humidity to thrive, and bright (not direct) light. It flourishes in acidic soils with good drainage and thrives on [20-23 C temperatures (68-74 F)][6] during the day and 15-16 C (60 F) in the evening. Potting soils developed especially for gardenias are available. G. jasminoides grows no larger than 18 inches in height and width when grown indoors. In climates where it can be grown outdoors, it can attain a height of 6 feet. If water touches the flowers, they will turn brown.[7]

In Eastern Asia, Gardenia jasminoides is called zhīzi (子) in China, chija (치자) in Korea, and kuchinashi () in Japan. Its fruit is used as a yellow dye,[8] used on fabric and food (including the Korean mung bean jelly called hwangpomuk). Its fruits are also used in traditional Chinese medicine for their clearing, calming, and cooling properties.[9]

In France, gardenias are the flower traditionally worn by men as boutonnière when in evening dress. In The Age of Innocence, Edith Wharton suggests it was customary for upper-class men from New York City to wear a gardenia in their buttonhole during the Gilded Age.[10]

Sigmund Freud remarked to the poet H.D. that gardenias were his favorite flower.[11]

In Tiki culture, "Donn Beach", aka Don the Beachcomber, frequently wore a fresh lei of gardenias almost everyday at his Tiki bars, allegedly spending $7,800 for flowers over the course of four years in 1938.[12] He named one of his drinks the Mystery Gardenia cocktail. Trader Vic frequently used the gardenia as a flower garnish in his Tiki drinks, such as in the Scorpion and Outrigger Tiara cocktails.[13]

Several species occur in Hawaii, where gardenias are known as naʻu or nānū.

Crocetin is a chemical compound usually obtained from Crocus sativus, which can also be obtained from the fruit of Gardenia jasminoides.[14] Gordonin is a novel methoxylated flavonol secreted in golden-colored resinous droplets of Gardenia gordonii, which is one of several critically endangered species of the Fiji Islands. Phytochemical studies of these resin droplets have been published, including a population-level study of two other rare, sympatric species on Vanua Levu Island of the Fiji Archipelago, G. candida and G. grievei.[15]

Hattie McDaniel famously wore gardenias in her hair when she accepted an Academy Award, the first for an African American, for Gone With The Wind. Mo'Nique Hicks later wore gardenias in her hair when she won her Oscar as a tribute to McDaniel.

References

  1. Tao Chen; Charlotte M. Taylor, "Gardenia J. Ellis, Philos. Trans. 51: 935. 1761", Flora of China online, 19
  2. Puttock, C.F. “A REVISION OF GARDENIA ELLIS (RUBIACEAE) FROM NORTH-EASTERN QUEENSLAND.” Austrobaileya, vol. 2, no. 5, 1988, pp. 433–449. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/41738712. Accessed 2 Sept. 2020.
  3. "LXXXII. An account of the plants Halesia and Gardenia : In a letter from John Ellis, Esq; F. R. S. To Philip Carteret Webb, Esq; F. R. S". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. 51: 929–935. 1759. doi:10.1098/rstl.1759.0084. S2CID 186210416.
  4. Miller, J. M. and S. Sotheeswaran. 1993. Bud exudate composition and ecogeography of Fijian Gardenia species (Rubiaceae). Biotropica 25(1): 117-122
  5. "Gardenia". The Plant List. Retrieved 2014-03-06.
  6. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-01-25. Retrieved 2009-01-15.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. Reader's Digest. Success with House Plants. The Reader's Digest Association, Inc. New York/Montreal. 217
  8. Ozaki, A.; Kitano, M.; Furusawa, N.; Yamaguchi, H.; Kuroda, K.; Endo, G. (2002), "Genotoxicity of gardenia yellow and its components", Food and Chemical Toxicology, 40 (11): 1603–1610, doi:10.1016/S0278-6915(02)00118-7, PMID 12176087
  9. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-09-03. Retrieved 2011-08-02.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. Edith Wharton, The Age of Innocence, Wordsworth Classic, 1999, p. 4
  11. H.D. (Hilda Doolittle). "Tribute to Freud." New Directions, Boston 1974 p11
  12. Bitner, Arnold (2001). Hawai'i Tropical Rum Drinks by Don the Beaschcomber. Honolulu: Mutual Publishing. p. 18.
  13. Vic, Trader (1972). Bartender's Guide, Revised (revised ed.). Garden City, NY: Double Day & Co. p. 179.
  14. Yamauchi, M; Tsuruma, K; Imai, S; Nakanishi, T; Umigai, N; Shimazawa, M; Hara, H (2011). "Crocetin prevents retinal degeneration induced by oxidative and endoplasmic reticulum stresses via inhibition of caspase activity". European Journal of Pharmacology. 650 (1): 110–9. doi:10.1016/j.ejphar.2010.09.081. PMID 20951131.
  15. Miller, J. M. and S. Sotheeswaran. 1993. Bud exudate composition and ecogeography of Fijian Gardenia species (Rubiaceae). Biotropica 25(1): 117-122
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