cape-jasmine

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• cape-jasmine
• Cape-jessamine
• danh-danh
• jasmin
• common gardenia

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Genipa radicans
• Gardenia jasminoides f. oblanceolata
• Gardenia florida f. simpliciflora
• Gardenia florida var. ovalifolia
• Mussaenda chinensis
• Gardenia jasminoides f. longicarpa
• Gardenia maruba
• Gardenia pictorum
• Gardenia jasminoides var. kosyunensis
• Gardenia jasminoides f. albomarginata
• Gardenia jasminoides var. plena
• Gardenia jasminoides f. grandiflora
• Gardenia grandiflora
• Gardenia florida var. grandiflora
• Gardenia augusta var. grandiflora
• Gardenia jasminoides var. grandiflora
• Gardenia jasminoides f. maruba
• Gardenia jasminoides var. maruba
• Gardenia florida var. maruba
• Gardenia longisepala
• Gardenia florida f. oblanceolata
• Gardenia jasminoides f. ovalifolia
• Gardenia jasminoides var. ovalifolia
• Gardenia augusta var. ovalifolia
• Gardenia radicans
• Gardenia jasminoides f. aureovariegata
• Gardenia florida variegata
• Gardenia augusta var. longisepala
• Gardenia jasminoides f. variegata
• Gardenia florida var. plena
• Gardenia jasminoides var. fortuneana
• Gardenia florida var. fortuneana
• Gardenia angustifolia
• Gardenia jasminoides var. longisepala
• Gardenia jasminoides var. radicans
• Gardenia florida var. radicans
• Genipa grandiflora
• Gardenia angustifolia var. kosyunensis
• Gardenia radicans variegata
• Gardenia augusta var. kosyunensis
• Gardenia jasminoides var. variegata
• Gardenia jasminoides f. albovariegata
• Gardenia jasminoides f. simpliciflora
• Gardenia radicans var. simpliciflora

Regional and Traditional Names

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and is classified under the phylum Streptophyta and the class Equisetopsida. Within the subclass Magnoliidae and the order Gentianales, it is a member of the Rubiaceae family. Finally, it is categorized under the genus Gardenia.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant exhibits a broad geographical distribution across several distinct regions. In the Western Indian Ocean, it can be found specifically within the Comoros islands. Its presence in China is extensive, covering the South-Central areas of the country. Additionally, the species is distributed throughout the Hainan province. Finally, its range extends into both the North-Central and Southeast regions of China.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Ecology

The ecology of Gardenia jasminoides is characterized by its ability to thrive across a significant altitudinal gradient, demonstrating versatile adaptation to varying environmental conditions. This species is typically found inhabiting landscapes that span from low-lying areas starting at an elevation of 200 m AMSL to much higher mountainous terrains, reaching a maximum elevation of 2620 m AMSL. This broad elevational range suggests a capacity to tolerate a diverse spectrum of temperature regimes, atmospheric pressures, and moisture availability, allowing it to occupy various ecological niches within its native range.

Elevational range max:

2620 m AMSL

Elevational range min:

200 m AMSL

Life history

The life history of Gardenia jasminoides is characterized by its status as a perennial plant, ensuring its continued presence in the ecosystem across multiple growing seasons. In terms of its structural growth patterns, it functions as a phanerophyte, possessing visible above-ground stems that support its development, though it can also be categorized under the nanophanerophyte life form due to its specific shrubby stature. Throughout its life cycle, the plant maintains an evergreen deciduousness, retaining its foliage year-round rather than shedding it seasonally.

Deciduousness :

evergreen

Life form :

nanophanerophyte

Life form :

phanerophyte

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

The morphology of Gardenia jasminoides is characterized by its woody growth form, functioning as a self-supporting shrub. It is a terrestrial species that grows independently, lacking any parasitic or epiphytic tendencies. The plant can reach a significant stature, with a mean height of approximately 7.5 m, maintaining a robust, self-supporting structure rather than acting as a climber, liana, or vine.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

shrub

Parasite :

independent

Plant height mean:

7.5 m

Woodiness :

woody

Physiology

The physiology of Gardenia jasminoides is characterized by a C3 photosynthetic pathway, which dictates its carbon fixation processes and environmental requirements for optimal growth. The plant features obovate leaf forms with entire margins, presenting a smooth structural profile that lacks any specialized defensive modifications such as leaf thorns or leaf spines. Furthermore, the species does not exhibit succulence, maintaining standard leaf tissue hydration rather than specialized water-storage mechanisms, and it does not function as a nitrogen fixer, relying instead on soil-available nitrogen for its metabolic processes.

Leaf form :

obovate

Leaf margin :

entire

Leaf spines :

no

Leaf thorns :

no

Nitrogen fixer :

no

Photosynthetic pathway :

C3

Succulence :

no

Reproduction

The reproduction of Gardenia jasminoides is characterized by specific seed morphological traits and diverse dispersal mechanisms. The seeds produced by this species are relatively small, exhibiting a mean mass of 0.00384 g, with individual seed weights ranging from a minimum of 0.0034 g to a maximum of 0.00428 g. In terms of movement and distribution, the plant utilizes multiple dispersal syndromes to propagate. It primarily employs zoochory, relying on animals to facilitate the spread of its seeds, and also exhibits anthropochory, where human activity plays a role in its dispersal. These mechanisms ensure that the seeds can be transported away from the parent plant to colonize new environments.

Dispersal syndrome :

zoochorous

Dispersal syndrome :

anthropochorous

Seed mass max:

0.00428 g

Seed mass mean:

0.00384 g

Seed mass min:

0.0034 g

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Plant Parts

Gardenia jasminoides has 6 reported plant parts identified across 23 scientific publications and several other databases that are studied for medicinal purposes. The most consistently reported plant part include fruit, flower, leaf, root, seed.

Fruit

1. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica
2. Journal of natural products
3. International journal of molecular sciences
4. Planta medica
5. Molecular biology reports

Flower

1. Pharmacological research
2. Food chemistry
3. Pharmaceutics

Leaf

1. Frontiers in plant science
2. Advanced pharmaceutical bulletin
3. Journal de mycologie medicale

Root

1. Frontiers in nutrition

Seed

1. The American journal of Chinese medicine

Stem

1. Natural product research

Chemicals

Gardenia jasminoides has 126 reported phytochemicals identified across 23 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include Geniposide, Genipin, Crocin, Crocetin, Flavonoids.

Geniposide

1. Dr. Duke
2. Yao xue xue bao = Acta pharmaceutica Sinica
3. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica
4. Talanta
5. Xenobiotica; the fate of foreign compounds in biological systems

Genipin

1. Dr. Duke
2. Yao xue xue bao = Acta pharmaceutica Sinica
3. Journal of food and drug analysis
4. Bioscience of microbiota, food and health
5. Journal of biomedical materials research

Crocin

1. Dr. Duke
2. International journal of molecular sciences
3. Journal of food and drug analysis
4. Molecular biology reports
5. Frontiers in nutrition

Crocetin

1. Dr. Duke
2. Yao xue xue bao = Acta pharmaceutica Sinica
3. Frontiers in pharmacology
4. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica
5. Bioresources and bioprocessing

Flavonoids

1. World journal of biological chemistry
2. Advanced pharmaceutical bulletin
3. Food chemistry
4. Journal of chromatography. A

Gardenoside

1. Dr. Duke
2. Yao xue xue bao = Acta pharmaceutica Sinica
3. Planta
4. Zhong yao cai = Zhongyaocai = Journal of Chinese medicinal materials

Geniposidic acid

1. Dr. Duke
2. Yao xue xue bao = Acta pharmaceutica Sinica
3. Plant biotechnology journal
4. Journal of analytical methods in chemistry

Gardoside

1. Dr. Duke
2. Frontiers in nutrition
3. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica

Iridoids

1. Frontiers in plant science
2. Food chemistry
3. Planta

CHLOROGENIC ACID

1. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
2. Yao xue xue bao = Acta pharmaceutica Sinica

Activities

Gardenia jasminoides has 302 reported activities identified across 23 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antioxidant, Anticancer, Antidepressant, Neuroprotective, Antipyretic.

Antioxidant

1. Dr. Duke
2. Frontiers in medicine
3. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
4. Frontiers in nutrition
5. Food chemistry

Anticancer

1. Dr. Duke
2. Frontiers in nutrition
3. Computational and structural biotechnology journal
4. Food chemistry: X
5. Indian journal of experimental biology

Antidepressant

1. Dr. Duke
2. Frontiers in nutrition
3. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

Neuroprotective

1. Dr. Duke
2. Bioresources and bioprocessing
3. Indian journal of experimental biology

Antipyretic

1. Dr. Duke
2. Zhonghua yi shi za zhi (Beijing, China : 1980)

Antiviral

1. Dr. Duke
2. Indian journal of experimental biology

Hepatoprotective

1. Dr. Duke
2. Indian journal of experimental biology

Hypoglycemic

1. Dr. Duke
2. Food chemistry

Hypotensive

1. Dr. Duke
2. The American journal of Chinese medicine

(-)-Chronotropic

1. Dr. Duke

Medicinal Uses

Gardenia jasminoides has 40 reported medicinal uses identified across 23 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported uses include Alzheimer's disease, cancer, depression, inflammation, arthritis.

Most Reported Uses

Preparations