Jasmine
Jasmine flower and the essential oil extracted from the flower are being used extensively in cosmetics and perfumery, and as a calmative (relaxing properties, sedative) and aphrodisiac (intensifies sexual desire).
Jasmine is a very popular flower around the world, especially in tropics because of its unique fragrance. The Jasmine is native to tropical and warm temperate regions of the old world.
Jasmine flowers are white in most species, with some species being yellow flowered. Jasmine is believed to have originated in the Himalayas in western China.
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Division
- Magnoliophyta
- Class
- Magnoliopsida
- Order
- Lamiales
- Family
- Oleaceae
- Genus
- Jasminum
Unlike most genera in the Oleceae family, which have four corolla lobes petals, Jasmines often have five or six lobes. Jasmines are often strongly and sweetly scented. Jasmine is widely cultivated for its shining leaves and beautiful clusters of fragrant flowers.
Flowering in Jasmines takes place in summer or spring, usally six months after planting. The Jasmine flower releases its fragrance at night after the sun has set and especially when the moon is waxing towards fullness. Jasmine flower buds are more fragrant than the flowers.
There exists a true Jasmine and a false Jasmine, and the two are commonly mistaken for each other because of the fragrance the plants release. The true Jsmine belongs to the family Oleaceae, is primarily a bushy shrub or climbing vine, and is non-poisonous.
True Jasmine has oval, shiny leaves and tubular, waxy-white flowers. The false Jasmine, on the other hand, is in a completely different genus, Gelsemium, and family, Loganiaceae, is considered too poisonous for human consumption.
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Facts About Jasmine
- 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.
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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.
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.
Uses of Jasmine
- Jasmine is used for decorations for various occasions like wedding, anniversary....
- Jasmine is used for making perfumes and incense.
- Jasmine is used for making oils which are used in Aromatherapy.
- Jasmine is used for making garlands and are worn in hair by women in some Asian countries.
- Jasmine is used in medicines for healing, specially Jasmine tea which is made of Star Jasmine is used for balancing body effected by Sun stroke.
- Jasmine oil extracts are used in beauty products for rejuvenate your skin.
- Jasmine known to be heavily fragrant flower, also helps to lift the mood for people who undergo emotional depression.
- Jasmine helps in relieving stress by its fragrance and encourages the individual to relax and live healthy.
- Unlike the tea taken daily, people prefer Jasmine tea to refresh as contrast to daily routine.
Jasmine Plant Care
- Remove the weeds present near Jasmine plants.
- Fertilizers should be added from time to time. Mild or moderate fertlizers must be used.
- Add fertilizers for every two weeks - 10% potassium, 20% phosphorous and 10 % nitrogen combination of fertilizer is best suited for Jasmine plant
- 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.
- It differs how to take care of Jasmine plant depending on indoor and outdoor. When it comes for Indoor plant care, Jasmine needs 4-6 hours of exposure to Sun light. So better keep Jasmine plant in the balcony. Dont exposure it to direct Sunlight in the afternoon. Keep it in shades during mid day, especially in Summer.
- For indoor planting, care should be taken so that the plant does not develop fungus.
- If at all it is placed inside the house, to avoid fungus the best suited place is near a open window
- Pruning in late spring is preferred.
- For Jasmine polyanthum, frequent pruning is must.
- If spider mites are found, water spray on leaves gets rid of the problem.
- Dead leaves and branches and dead flowers must be removed from time to time. Otherwise the growth of the plant gets effected.
- For outdoor Jasmine plant care - The preffered time to plant this Jasmine bushes is June and November.
- If you plant 2-3 Jasmine Bushes, you need to give adequate space between them, so that their roots can expand.
- Sandy loam soil is best recommended for growing Jasmine plant.
- Water the plant daily, dont let the soil completely dry.
- You can add lime to soil for the plants healthy growth.
The four things which are most important are
Sunshine
Fertilizer
Soil
Watering
Jasminum sambac , a popular species in the genus Jasmine is also the National Flower of Indonesia, where it is known as Melati, and the Philippines, where it is known as Sampaguita.
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