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Comparison of Similar Looking PlantsGardenia jasminoides var. fortuneana, Gardenia jasminoides var. jasminoides and
Gardenia taitensis
Scientific name: Gardenia taitensis
Common name: Tahitian Gardenia
Family name: Rubiaceae
Origin: Southwest Pacific
© Horticulture Outreach and Heritage Trees, National Parks Board, 2019
Scientific name: Gardenia jasminoidesvar. fortuneana
Common name: Cape Jasmine
Family name: Rubiaceae
Origin: China, Japan and Taiwan
Scientific name: Gardenia jasminoides var. jasminoides
Common name: -
Family name: Rubiaceae
Origin: China, Japan and Vietnam
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Gardenia jasminoides var. fortuneana Gardenia jasminoides var. jasminoides Gardenia taitensis
Form • 0.5 – 2.0 m tall• Shrubby
• Up to 2.0 m tall• Shrubby
• Up to 6 m tall• Shrub to a small tree
Foliage • Green, smooth, slightly glossy• Broadly elliptic with acute tip and entire
margin• Leaf blade bout 10 cm long
• Green, smooth, not glossy• Elliptic with acute tip and entire margin• Leaf blade about 10 cm long
• Dark green, slightly leathery, glossy on upper surface, non glossy on under surface
• Oval with acute tip and entire margin• Leaf blade up to 20 cm long
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Gardenia jasminoides var. fortuneana Gardenia jasminoides var. jasminoides Gardenia taitensis
Foliage • Oppositely arranged along the stem, in decussate form
• Shorter internodes
• Oppositely arranged along the stem, sometimes in 2 or whorls of 3
• Longer internodes
• Oppositely arranged along the stem but congested near the branch tips
• Longer internodes
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Gardenia jasminoides var. fortuneana Gardenia jasminoides var. jasminoides Gardenia taitensis
Flower • White • Double-petalled• Many petals • About 8 cm in diameter• Sepals erect
• White, turning yellowish-white with age• Single-petalled • 6 paddle-shaped petals arranged like a
pinwheel• 6.5 - 7.5 cm in diameter• Sepals open like stars
• White • Single-petalled• 6-7 oval-shaped petals arranged like a
pinwheel• About 7.5 cm in diameter, sometimes up to 10
cm• Sepals tightly enclose the flower tube
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References
• eFlora: Gardenia jasminoides
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200022091 (accessed on 8 July 2020).
• Plants of the World online
http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:Isid:ipni.org:names:751282-1 (accessed on 8 July 2020).
• World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP): Gardenia taitensis
http://wcsp.science.kew.org (accessed on 8 July 2020).
© Horticulture Outreach and Heritage Trees, National Parks Board, 2020
Please visit our website https://www.nparks.gov.sg/florafaunaweb for more information.