Flowers A to Z - Gardenia

Gardenia, Cape-Jasmine

Botanical Name :	Gardenia augusta (G. jasminoides)
Common Name :	Gardenia, Cape-Jasmine
Product Use :	Cut Flower
Pronunciation :	gar-DEEN-ee-a au-GUS-ta or jaz-min-OY-deez
Family Roots :	Member of the Rubiaceae (madder family). Native to China. Common relatives include Bouvardia, pentas and coffee.
Personality :	Flowers to 3 inches across, petals waxy, opening into flat or dome-shaped flowers. Stems leafy, to 16 inches, foliage glossy. Plant is an evergreen, woody shrub, classed as a dicotyledon, leaves not parallel veined. Flower fragrance is intense.
Availability :	Year-round.
Flower Color :	White, cream.
Decorative Life :	Last only 1-3 days or less under most circumstances depending on use and treatment.
Ethylene Sensitivity :	Medium
Ethylene Comments :	Yes.
Post Harvest Care Opportunities :	If possible, recut stems under water and place into a fresh flower food solution and/or treat with a spray or dip designed and proven to reduce water loss and/or extend life. Misting with water can also improve postharvest performance. Petals bruise easily so handle them carefully.
Storage Specifics :	Can be stored at high humidity for 2 weeks at 32-36 F.
Tidbits :	Gardenia was mistakenly thought to be an American plant, and was thus named in the colonial days after Dr. Alexander Garden from Charleston, South Carolina, a correspondent of Linnaeus. Usually used as a corsage, fully opened with a support collar made of leaves. The specific epithet name jasminoides means jasmine-like. Besides ornamentals, this family includes a number of important species noted for coffee, quinine, dyes and medicines. See More Hoogasian Flowers A to Z at: http://www.hoogasian.com/FlowersAtoZ.html