Boxwood Gardenia, Indian boxwood
Gardenia latifolia

Family: Rubiaceae

What it is like

A small tree. It loses its leaves during the year. It can start by growing on other trees. The bark is greenish-grey and peels off. The leaves are large. They are arranged oppositely or in rings. The leaves are 15-20 cm long by 8 cm wide. The flowers occur singly at the ends of the branches. The flowers have a narrow tube that widens into a flat arrangement of petals. They are white or pale yellow. The fruit is a round berry

There are about 200 Gardenia species.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows in forests in southern India. It grows in dry forests.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Asia, Hawaii, India (country/location of origin), Indonesia, Nigeria, Pacific, SE Asia, Sri Lanka, West Africa

How it is used for food

The young fruit are eaten. It is the fleshy pulp that is eaten.

It is a cultivated fruit tree.

Edible parts

Fruit

How it is grown

Plants can be grown from seeds or by cuttings or grafting.

In southern India plants flowers April to July.

Its other names

Local names

Adavi sapota, Adavibikke, Ban pindalu, Damkurdu, Dimaru, Gaiger, Ghogar, Ghogari, Jantia, Kalkambi, Kota ranga, Kumbay, Pandru, Papda, Paphar, Papra, Papur, Perungambil, Pohon gardenia India

Synonyms

Gardenia calyculata Roxb.; Gardenia enneandra J. Koenig ex Roxb. [Invalid];