Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Jasmine flowers are four-petalled, and mostly whi...





Jasmine flowers are four-petalled, and mostly white, with some yellow flowered species. Unlike most general in the Oleaceae which have four corolla lobes ('petals'), jasmines typically 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.The common name 'jasmine' is often given to unrelated plants with pale, sweetly-scented flowers and dark green leaves, such as Trachelospermum species (Confederate or star jasmine), Gardenia jasminoides (Cape jasmine), and Gelsemium species (Carolina jasmine).

Some Popular Varieties in Jasmine





Common Jasmine, or poet's Jasmine - Jasmine officinale, is native to Iran, which produces fragrant white flowers that are the source of attar of Jasmine used in perfumery.Winter Jasmine - Jasmine nudiflorum, a Chinese species with solitary yellow flowers, is used as a cover plant on hillsides.Arabian Jasmine - Jasmine sambac, are used to make jasmine tea.South African Jasmine - Jasmine angulare: an evergreen vine, which is only hardy in the coastal areas. Jasmine blooms in the summer, bearing unscented white flowers in groups of three.Spanish Jasmine - Jasmine grandiflorum: is a semi-evergreen to deciduous vine with fragrant, white flowers, which are 1 inch in diameter.Italian Jasmine - Jasmine humile: an evergreen shrub or vine, which can reach up to 20 feet and arch to make a 10-foot-wide mound. Clusters of fragrant, bright yellow flowers are present all summer.Primrose Jasmine - Jasmine mesnyi: an evergreen shrub with yellow, unscented flowers, which are up to 2 inches in diameter.Downy Jasmine - Jasmine multiflorum: has clustered, white flowers that are not strongly scented. The stems and leaves have a downy coating, resulting in an overall gray-green effect.

Jasminum Sambac Varieties 1





Jasmine shrubs reache to a height of 10-15 feet, growing approximately 12-24 inches per year.Jasmine leaves are either evergreen or deciduous.A Jasmine leaf is arranged in opposite in most species, leaf shape is simple, trifoliate or pinnate with 5-9 leaflets, each up to two and half inches long.The Jasmine stems are slender, trailing, green, glaborous, angled, almost 4-sided.Most of the Jasmine species bear white flowers, which are about 1 inch in size.Jasmine oil, which is a very popular fragrant oil, contains benzyl acetate, terpinol, jasmone, benzyl benzoate, linalool, several alcohols, and other compounds.The variety Jasminium sambac, is a clustered flower of a equally strong scent known in Hawaii as the Pikake.Two types of Jasmine are used for oil production - Jasminum grandiflorum and Jasminum officinale.The nectar of the fragrant flowers of Carolina Jasmine, Gelsemium sempervirens, is poisonous, although its dried roots are used in medicinal preparations as a sedative.Jasmine flower oil, extracted from the two species Jasminum Officinale and Grandiflorum, is used in high-grade perfumes and cosmetics, such as creams, oils, soaps, and shampoos

Growing Jasmine flowers

Jasmines grow well in moist, well drained, sandy loam to clayey graden soil with moderate level of fertility.Jasmine prefer full sun to partial shade and a warm site.Jasmine bushes should be planted during June to November.Jasmine Plant should be kept at least eight feet apart in order to save the later growth of the plant from jamming together.Adding of leaf molds to the soil makes it better for the growth of the plant.Mild fertilizer should be applied during spring.Plenty of water should be given during summer.Jasmine plants should be provided with full sunlight upto at least four hours a day.

Jasmine Plant Care

Remove the weeds present near Jasmine plants.Fertilizers should be added from time to time।Phosphorous and Potassium should be applied in two split doses i.e once after annual pruning and again during June and July.Tips of the plants should be pinched to stimulate lateral growth and frequent prunning.First irrigation should be given immediately after planting and subsequent irrigation at an interval of seven to ten days.Younger plants should be tied with the stems to give a fairly heavy support.
Remove the weeds present near Jasmine plants.Fertilizers should be added from time to time।Phosphorous and Potassium should be applied in two split doses i.e once after annual pruning and again during June and July.Tips of the plants should be pinched to stimulate lateral growth and frequent prunning.First irrigation should be given immediately after planting and subsequent irrigation at an interval of seven to ten days.Younger plants should be tied with the stems to give a fairly heavy support.

Jasmine Flower Photo