Star Jasmine, Confederate jasmine
Trachelospermum jasminoides

Family: Apocynaceae

What it is like

Bloom Color: White, Yellow. Main Bloom Time: Early summer, Late summer, Mid summer. Form: Spreading or horizontal, Variable height, Variable spread.

Trachelospermum jasminoides is an evergreen Climber growing to 6 m (19ft) by 6 m (19ft) at a slow rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 9 and is frost tender. It is in leaf all year, in flower from July to August. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.

Height (m): 6

Where it is found

Found as a weed in Chinese gardens where it grows on walls and trees.

E. Asia - China, Japan, Korea.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 0

Medicine

Rating: 2

The leaf is restorative and tonic. This plant is especially useful for the aged. The flowering stem is analgesic, antibacterial, antirheumatic, antispasmodic, depurative, emmenagogue, febrifuge, resolvent, tonic and vasodilator. A decoction is used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, sore throats and various boils and abscesses. The seed is cardiotonic and haemostatic. The whole plant is cooked with other foods and used to treat rheumatism.

Anodyne: Relieves pain, it is milder than an analgesic.

Antibacterial: Kills bacteria.

Antirheumatic: Treats rheumatism.

Antispasmodic: Relaxes muscular spasms and cramps, calming nervous irritation.

Depurative: Eliminates toxins and purifies the system, especially the blood.

Emmenagogue: Promotes or increases the menstrual flow. In early stages of pregnancy it can induce an abortion.

Febrifuge: Reduces fevers.

Restorative: Restores consciousness or normal physiological activity.

Tonic: Improves general health. Slower acting than a stimulant, it brings steady improvement.

Vasodilator: Widens the blood vessels, thereby reducing blood pressure.

Other

Rating: 2

Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.

Scented Plants: Plants noted for their scent

How it is grown

Landscape Uses:Arbor, Container, Erosion control, Ground cover, Pest tolerant. Requires a well-drained moderately retentive soil in full sun or with part-day shade. Requires a good humus-rich soil. Succeeds in moderately acid or alkaline soils. Requires the protection of a wall. Plants are not very hardy outside the milder areas of Britain, tolerating temperatures down to about -5°c when grown against a wall. They tolerate temperatures down to about -10°c according to other reports. Plants are slow-growing when they are young and they are then more susceptible to damage by frost and cold winds. They may put on no new growth for the first 2 - 3 years after planting out. A twining plant. Plants are self-clinging on walls according to other reports. Flowers are produced on short laterals that grow from old wood. The flowers are deliciously scented. Special Features:Attractive foliage, Not North American native, Naturalizing, Attracts butterflies, Fragrant flowers, Attractive flowers or blooms.

Propagating it: Seed - we have no information for this species but suggest sowing the seed in a greenhouse in early spring. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 6 - 8cm with a heel, August in a frame. Ensure that the milky sap, which is excreted from the heel when the cutting is taken, has dried out before the cutting is inserted in the soil. Fair to good percentage. Layering in summer. The plant self-layers, sending out roots from leaf nodes and stem tips wherever they touch the ground.

Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Shady Edge;

Habit: Climber

Hardiness: 8-10

Growth: Slow

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: Semi-shade, no shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Rhynchospermum jasminoides.