''Gardenia'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s in the coffee family,

Rubiaceae The Rubiaceae are a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the coffee, madder, or bedstraw family. It consists of terrestrial trees, shrubs, lianas, or herbs that are recognizable by simple, opposite leaves with interpetiolar stipules a ...

, native to the

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

and subtropical regions of

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

and Pacific Islands, and Australia. The genus was named by

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his Nobility#Ennoblement, ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalise ...

and John Ellis after

Alexander Garden Alexander Gardens (russian: Александровский сад) was one of the first urban public parks in Moscow, Russia. The park comprises three separate gardens, which stretch along all the length of the western Kremlin wall for between ...

(1730–1791), a Scottish-born American naturalist.

Description

Gardenias are

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...

shrubs and small

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

s growing to tall. The leaves are opposite or in whorls of three or four, long and broad, dark green and glossy with a leathery texture. The

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s are solitary or in small clusters, white, or pale yellow, with a tubular-based

corolla (botany) The perianth (perigonium, perigon or perigone in monocots) is the non-reproductive part of the flower, and structure that forms an envelope surrounding the sexual organs, consisting of the calyx (botany), calyx (sepals) and the corolla (flower), ...

with 5–12 lobes ( petals) from 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''. The evolutionary significance of the gums and resins of gardenias in attracting or repelling invertebrate herbivores, has yet to be explored by ecologists.

Systematics

'' Plants of the World Online'' recognises 128 species in this genus, as follows: * ''

Gardenia actinocarpa ''Gardenia actinocarpa'' is a rare and endangered plant in the madder family Rubiaceae that grows in a very restricted area within the Wet Tropics rainforest of north-east Queensland. Description This species grows as an evergreen understory ...

'' * ''

Gardenia anapetes ''Gardenia anapetes'' is a species of plant in the family Rubiaceae. It is endemic to the Fiji island of Vanua Levu Vanua Levu (pronounced ), formerly known as Sandalwood Island, is the second largest island of Fiji. Located to the north of ...

'' * ''

Gardenia angkorensis ''Gardenia angkorensis'' is a species of plant in the family Rubiaceae The Rubiaceae are a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the coffee, madder, or bedstraw family. It consists of terrestrial trees, shrubs, lianas, or herbs that ...

'' * ''

Gardenia annamensis ''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, and Australia. The genus was named by Carl Linnaeus and John Ellis aft ...

'' * ''

Gardenia aqualla ''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, and Australia. The genus was named by Carl Linnaeus and John Ellis aft ...

'' * ''

Gardenia archboldiana ''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, and Australia. The genus was named by Carl Linnaeus and John Ellis aft ...

'' * ''

Gardenia aubryi ''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, and Australia. The genus was named by Carl Linnaeus and John Ellis aft ...

'' * '' Gardenia barnesii'' * '' Gardenia beamanii'' * '' Gardenia boninensis'' * '' Gardenia brachythamnus'' * '' Gardenia brevicalyx'' * '' Gardenia brighamii'' * '' Gardenia buffalina'' * '' Gardenia cambodiana'' * '' Gardenia candida'' * '' Gardenia carinata'' * '' Gardenia carstensensis'' * ''

Gardenia chanii ''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, and Australia. The genus was named by Carl Linnaeus and John Ellis aft ...

'' * '' Gardenia chevalieri'' * '' Gardenia clemensiae'' * '' Gardenia collinsiae'' * '' Gardenia cornuta'' * '' Gardenia coronaria'' * '' Gardenia costulata'' * '' Gardenia crameri'' * '' Gardenia cuneata'' * ''

Gardenia dacryoides ''Gardenia dacryoides'', commonly known as malava, is a species of plant in the family Rubiaceae The Rubiaceae are a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the coffee, madder, or bedstraw family. It consists of terrestrial trees, shru ...

'' * '' Gardenia elata'' * '' Gardenia epiphytica'' * '' Gardenia erubescens'' * '' Gardenia esculenta'' * '' Gardenia ewartii'' * '' Gardenia faucicola'' * ''

Gardenia fiorii ''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, and Australia. The genus was named by Carl Linnaeus and John Ellis (nat ...

'' * '' Gardenia flava'' * '' Gardenia fosbergii'' * '' Gardenia fucata'' * '' Gardenia fusca'' * '' Gardenia gardneri'' * '' Gardenia gjellerupii'' * '' Gardenia gordonii'' * '' Gardenia grievei'' * '' Gardenia griffithii'' * '' Gardenia gummifera'' * '' Gardenia hageniana'' * '' Gardenia hainanensis'' * '' Gardenia hansemannii'' * ''

Gardenia hillii ''Gardenia hillii'' is a species of plant in the family Rubiaceae. It is endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organi ...

'' * '' Gardenia hutchinsoniana'' * '' Gardenia imperialis'' * '' Gardenia invaginata'' * '' Gardenia ixorifolia'' * '' Gardenia jabiluka'' * '' Gardenia jasminoides'' * '' Gardenia kabaenensis'' * '' Gardenia kakaduensis'' * '' Gardenia kamialiensis'' * '' Gardenia lacciflua'' * ''

Gardenia lamingtonii ''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, and Australia. The genus was named by Carl Linnaeus and John Ellis (nat ...

'' * '' Gardenia lanutoo'' * '' Gardenia latifolia'' * '' Gardenia leopoldiana'' * '' Gardenia leschenaultii'' * '' Gardenia longistipula'' * '' Gardenia magnifica'' * ''

Gardenia mannii ''Gardenia mannii'', the nānū, Oahu gardenia or Mann's gardenia, is a species of flowering tree in the coffee family, Rubiaceae, that is endemic to the island of Oahu in Hawaii. It inhabits coastal mesic, mixed mesic, and wet forests at ele ...

'' * '' Gardenia manongarivensis'' * '' Gardenia maugaloae'' * ''

Gardenia megasperma ''Gardenia megasperma'' is a species of plant in the family Rubiaceae The Rubiaceae are a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the coffee, madder, or bedstraw family. It consists of terrestrial trees, shrubs, lianas, or herbs that a ...

'' * '' Gardenia moszkowskii'' * '' Gardenia mutabilis'' * '' Gardenia nitida'' * '' Gardenia obtusifolia'' * '' Gardenia ornata'' * '' Gardenia oudiepe'' * '' Gardenia ovularis'' * '' Gardenia pallens'' * '' Gardenia panduriformis'' * ''

Gardenia papuana ''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, and Australia. The genus was named by Carl Linnaeus and John Ellis aft ...

'' * '' Gardenia philastrei'' * '' Gardenia posoquerioides'' * '' Gardenia propinqua'' * ''

Gardenia psidioides ''Gardenia psidioides'' is a species of plant in the family Rubiaceae native to northeastern Australia. References

Gardenia, psidioides Endemic flora of Queensland Taxa named by Christopher Francis Puttock {{Ixoroideae-stub ...

'' * '' Gardenia pterocalyx'' * '' Gardenia pyriformis'' * '' Gardenia racemulosa'' * '' Gardenia reflexisepala'' * '' Gardenia reinwardtiana'' * ''

Gardenia remyi ''Gardenia remyi'', the nānū or Remy's gardenia, is a species of flowering tree in the madder family, Rubiaceae. It is endemic to Hawaii. It inhabits coastal mesic, mixed mesic, and wet forests at elevations of on Kauai, Molokai, Maui ...

'' * '' Gardenia resinifera'' * ''

Gardenia resiniflua ''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, and Australia. The genus was named by Carl Linnaeus and John Ellis ...

'' * ''

Gardenia resinosa ''Gardenia resinosa'' is a species of plant in the family Rubiaceae native to northern Australia. References

Gardenia, resinosa Eudicots of Western Australia Plants described in 1858 Taxa named by Ferdinand von Mueller {{Ixoroideae-stu ...

'' * '' Gardenia rupicola'' * '' Gardenia rutenbergiana'' * '' Gardenia sambiranensis'' * '' Gardenia saxatilis'' * '' Gardenia scabrella'' * '' Gardenia schlechteri'' * '' Gardenia schwarzii'' * '' Gardenia sericea'' * ''

Gardenia similis ''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, and Australia. The genus was named by Carl Linnaeus and John Ellis (nat ...

'' * ''

Gardenia siphonocalyx ''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, and Australia. The genus was named by Carl Linnaeus and John Ellis (nat ...

'' * '' Gardenia sokotensis'' * '' Gardenia sootepensis'' * '' Gardenia stenophylla'' * '' Gardenia storckii'' * ''

Gardenia subacaulis ''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, and Australia. The genus was named by Carl Linnaeus and John Ellis (nat ...

'' * '' Gardenia subcarinata'' * ''

Gardenia taitensis ''Gardenia taitensis'', also called Tahitian gardenia or tiaré flower, is a species of plant in the family Rubiaceae. It is an evergreen tropical shrub that grows to tall and has glossy dark green leaves that are long and are oppositely arrang ...

'' * '' Gardenia tannaensis'' * '' Gardenia ternifolia'' * '' Gardenia tessellaris'' * '' Gardenia thailandica'' * '' Gardenia thunbergia'' * '' Gardenia tinneae'' * '' Gardenia transvenulosa'' * '' Gardenia trochainii'' * '' Gardenia tropidocarpa'' * '' Gardenia truncata'' * '' Gardenia tubifera'' * '' Gardenia urvillei'' * '' Gardenia vernicosa'' * '' Gardenia vilhelmii'' * '' Gardenia vitiensis'' * '' Gardenia vogelii'' * '' Gardenia volkensii'' * '' Gardenia vulcanica''

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 Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation, dew, or fog to be present. Humidity dep ...

to thrive, and bright (not direct) light. It flourishes in

acidic soil Soil pH is a measure of the acidity or basicity (alkalinity) of a soil. Soil pH is a key characteristic that can be used to make informative analysis both qualitative and quantitatively regarding soil characteristics. pH is defined as the n ...

s with good drainage and thrives on

0-23 C temperatures (68-74 F) The hyphen-minus is the most commonly used type of hyphen, widely used in digital documents. It is the only character that looks like a minus sign or a dash in many character sets such as ASCII or on most keyboards, so it is also used as such. ...

during the day and 15-16 C (60 F) in the evening.

Potting soil Potting soil or growing media, also known as potting mix or potting compost (UK), is a substrate used to grow plants in containers. The first recorded use of the term is from an 1861 issue of the ''American Agriculturist''. Despite its name, lit ...

s 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. In Eastern Asia, ''Gardenia jasminoides'' is called ( 栀子) in China, (치자) in Korea, and ( 梔) in Japan. Its fruit is used as a yellow dye, used on fabric and food (including the Korean mung bean jelly called ''

hwangpomuk ''Nokdu-muk'' (, 綠豆- ; "mung bean jelly",) is a Korean '' muk'', or jelly, made from mung bean starch. In its most commonly encountered form, it is also called ''cheongpo-muk'' (, 淸泡-), which literally means "clear froth jelly," owing to ...

''). Its fruits are also used in traditional

Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. It has been described as "fraught with pseudoscience", with the majority of its treatments having no logical mechanism of action ...

for their clearing, calming, and cooling properties. In

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, gardenias are the flower traditionally worn by men as

boutonnière A boutonnière () or buttonhole (British English) is a floral decoration, typically a single flower or bud, worn on the lapel of a tuxedo or suit jacket. While worn frequently in the past, boutonnières are now usually reserved for special oc ...

when in evening dress. In ''

The Age of Innocence ''The Age of Innocence'' is a 1920 novel by American author Edith Wharton. It was her twelfth novel, and was initially serialized in 1920 in four parts, in the magazine '' Pictorial Review''. Later that year, it was released as a book by D. App ...

'', 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 In United States history, the Gilded Age was an era extending roughly from 1877 to 1900, which was sandwiched between the Reconstruction era and the Progressive Era. It was a time of rapid economic growth, especially in the Northern and Wes ...

Sigmund Freud Sigmund Freud ( , ; born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for evaluating and treating pathologies explained as originating in conflicts ...

remarked to the poet H.D. that gardenias were his favorite flower. In

Tiki culture Tiki culture is an American-originated art, music, and entertainment movement inspired by Polynesian, Melanesian and Micronesian cultures. Inspired by Oceanian art, influential cultures to Tiki culture include Australasia, Melanesia, Micrones ...

, "Donn Beach", aka

Don the Beachcomber Don, don or DON and variants may refer to: Places *County Donegal, Ireland, Chapman code DON * Don (river), a river in European Russia * Don River (disambiguation), several other rivers with the name * Don, Benin, a town in Benin * Don, Dang, a ...

, frequently wore a fresh lei of gardenias almost every day at his

Tiki bars A tiki bar is a themed drinking establishment that serves elaborate cocktails, especially rum-based mixed drinks such as the Mai Tai and Zombie cocktails. Tiki bars are aesthetically defined by their tiki culture décor which is based upon a rom ...

, allegedly spending $7,800 for flowers over the course of four years in 1938. He named one of his drinks the ''Mystery Gardenia'' cocktail.

Trader Vic Trader Vic's is a restaurant and tiki bar chain headquartered in Emeryville, California, United States. Victor Jules Bergeron, Jr. (December 10, 1902 in San Francisco – October 11, 1984 in Hillsborough, California) founded a chain of Polyn ...

frequently used the gardenia as a flower garnish in his

Tiki drinks In Māori mythology, Tiki is the first man created by either Tūmatauenga or Tāne. He found the first woman, Marikoriko, in a pond; she seduced him and he became the father of Hine-kau-ataata. By extension, a tiki is a large or small wooden, ...

, such as in the

Scorpion Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the order Scorpiones. They have eight legs, and are easily recognized by a pair of grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back and always en ...

and ''Outrigger Tiara'' cocktails. Several species occur in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

, where gardenias are known as ''nau'' or ''nānū''. Crocetin is a chemical compound usually obtained from ''

Crocus sativus ''Crocus sativus'', commonly known as saffron crocus or autumn crocus, is a species of flowering plant in the iris family Iridaceae. A cormous autumn-flowering cultivated perennial, unknown in the wild, it is best known for the culinary use of ...

'', which can also be obtained from the fruit of ''Gardenia jasminoides''. 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''.Miller, J. M. and S. Sotheeswaran. 1993. Bud exudate composition and ecogeography of Fijian Gardenia species (Rubiaceae). Biotropica 25(1): 117-122

Hattie McDaniel Hattie McDaniel (June 10, 1893October 26, 1952) was an American actress, singer-songwriter, and comedian. For her role as Mammy in ''Gone with the Wind (film), Gone with the Wind'' (1939), she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, ...

famously wore gardenias in her hair when she accepted an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

, the first for an African American, for ''

Gone with the Wind Gone with the Wind most often refers to: * ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell * ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel Gone with the Wind may also refer to: Music * ''Gone with the Wind'' ...

''. Mo'Nique Hicks later wore gardenias in her hair when she won her Oscar as a tribute to McDaniel.

Gallery

Image:Starr_030523-0050_Gardenia_brighamii.jpg, ''Gardenia brighamii'' Image:White Gardenia flower.jpg, ''Gardenia jasminoides'' 'Plena' Image:Gardenia_Flower.jpg, ''Gardenia jasminoides''l 'Radicans' Image:Gardenia psidioides flower.jpg, ''Gardenia psidioides'' Image:Tiare_maori.JPG, ''Gardenia taitensis'' Image:Gardenia thunbergia00.jpg, Image:Gardeniavolkensii-flowerface.JPG, ''Gardenia volkensii'' flower Image:Gardeniavolkensii-flowers&foliage&fruit.JPG, ''Gardenia volkensii'' flowers, foliage, fruit Image:Blooming stages of gardenia flower 01.jpg, Blooming stages of gardenia flower (1 of 6) Image:Blooming stages of gardenia flower 02.jpg, Blooming stages of gardenia flower (2 of 6) Image:Blooming stages of gardenia flower 03.jpg, Blooming stages of gardenia flower (3 of 6) Image:Blooming stages of gardenia flower 04.jpg, Blooming stages of gardenia flower (4 of 6) Image:Blooming stages of gardenia flower 05.jpg, Blooming stages of gardenia flower (5 of 6) Image:Blooming stages of gardenia flower 06.jpg, Blooming stages of gardenia flower (6 of 6)

References

External links

World Checklist of Rubiaceae
{{Taxonbar, from=Q740887 Rubiaceae genera