Gardenia Jasminoides

The genus Gardenia Ellis consists of some 200 tropical or subtropical shrubs or small trees which belong to the Rubiaceae family. They are native to South Africa, western tropical Africa, India, the Malay Peninsula, the Philippines, Indonesia, and China. Gardenia jasminoides Ellis (G. florida L.; G. grandiflora Lour.; G. radicans Thunb.), a native of China, is the most common and popular species seen in southern gardens or grown commercially under protection for greenhouse forcing. ^{2 , 18}