jasmine
Jasminum sambac
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Lamiales
Family:	Oleaceae
Tribe:	Jasmineae
Genus:	Jasminum L. (1753)
Type species
Jasminum officinale L.
Species
More than 200 species, see List of Jasminum species Sources: ING,[1] CPN,[2] UniProt[3]

Jasminum auriculatum at Talakona forest, in Chittoor District of Andhra Pradesh, India.

A double-flowered cultivar of Jasminum sambac in flower with an unopened bud. The flower smells like the tea as it opens.

Jasmine (Jasminum, pronounced /ˈdʒæzmɨnəm/,^[4] from Old French^[5] Jasmine which is from the Persian yasmin, i.e. "gift from God",^[6][7] via Arabic^[8]) is a genus of shrubs and vines in the olive family (Oleaceae), with about 200 species, native to tropical and warm temperate regions of the Old World. Most species grow as climbers on other plants or are trained in gardens on chicken wire, trellis gates or fences, or made to scramble through shrubs of open texture. The leaves can be either evergreen (green all year round) or deciduous (falling in autumn).

[edit] Species

Species include:

• Jasminum abyssinicum Hochst. ex DC. – Forest jasmine
• Jasminum adenophyllum Wall. – Pinwheel Jasmine, Bluegrape jasmine, Princess jasmine, Che vang, Lai la co tuyen^[9]
• Jasminum dichotomum Vahl – Gold Coast Jasmine^[10]
• Jasminum grandiflorum L. – Spanish Jasmine,^[10] Royal Jasmine,^[10] Catalonian Jasmine^[10]
• Jasminum humile L. – Italian Yellow Jasmine^[10]
• Jasminum mesnyi Hance – Japanese Jasmine,^[10] Primrose Jasmine,^[10] Yellow Jasmine^[10]
• Jasminum odoratissimum L. – Yellow Jasmine^[10]
• Jasminum officinale L. – Common Jasmine,^[10] Poet's Jasmine,^[10] jasmine,^[10] jessamine^[10]
• Jasminum parkeri Dunn – Dwarf Jasmine^[11]
• Jasminum polyanthum Franch.
• Jasminum sambac (L.) Aiton – Arabian Jasmine^[10]

[edit] Cultivation and uses

Widely cultivated for its flowers, jasmine is enjoyed in the garden, as a house plant, and as cut flowers. The flowers are worn by women in their hair in southern and southeast Asia. The delicate jasmine flower opens only at night and may be plucked in the morning when the tiny petals are tightly closed, then stored in a cool place until night. The petals begin to open between six and eight in the evening, as the temperature lowers.

Jasmine tea is consumed in China, where it is called jasmine-flower tea (茉莉花茶; pinyin: mò lì huā chá). Jasminum sambac flowers are also used to make so-called jasmine tea, which often has a base of green tea, but sometimes an Oolong base is used. Flowers and tea are "mated" in machines that control temperature and humidity. It takes four hours or so for the tea to absorb the fragrance and flavour of the jasmine blossoms, and for the highest grades, this process may be repeated as many as seven times. Because the tea has absorbed moisture from the flowers, it must be refired to prevent spoilage. The spent flowers may or may not be removed from the final product, as the flowers are completely dry and contain no aroma. Giant fans are used to blow away and remove the petals from the denser tea leaves. If present, they simply add visual appeal and are no indication of the quality of the tea.

The French are known for their jasmine syrup, most commonly made from an extract of jasmine flowers. In the United States, this French jasmine syrup is used to make jasmine scones and marshmallows.

Jasmine essential oil is in common use. Its flowers are either extracted by the labour-intensive method of enfleurage or through chemical extraction. It is expensive due to the large number of flowers needed to produce a small amount of oil. The flowers have to be gathered at night because the odour of jasmine is more powerful after dark. The flowers are laid out on cotton cloths soaked in olive oil for several days and then extracted leaving the true jasmine essence. Some of the countries producing jasmine essential oil are India, Egypt, China and Morocco. Its chemical constituents include methyl anthranilate, indole, benzyl alcohol, linalool, and skatole. Many species also yield an absolute, which is used in perfumes and incense.

[edit] Cultural importance and other information

The White Jasmine Branch, painting of ink and color on silk by Chinese artist Zhao Chang, early 12th century

Jasmine is the national flower of the following countries:

• The Philippines, where it is known as "Sampaguita", and is usually strung on garlands which are then used to adorn religious images.
• Indonesia, where the variety Jasminum sambac is the "puspa bangsa" (national flower), and goes by the name "Melati". It is the most important flower in wedding ceremonies for ethnic Indonesians, especially in the island of Java.
• Pakistan, where Jasminum officinale is known as the "Chambeli" or "Yasmine" is the national flower.

In Syria, it is the symbolic flower of Damascus, which is called the City of Jasmines. In Sanskrit it is called "Mallika". It is called "Chameli" in Hindi.

Jasmine is cultivated at Pangala, in Karnataka, India, and exported to Middle Eastern countries.^{[citation needed]}

J. fluminense is an invasive species in Hawaii, where it is sometimes known by the inaccurate name "Brazilian Jasmine". J. dichotomum is also invasive in Florida.

In Thailand, jasmine flowers are used as a symbol of the mother.

[edit] Gallery

Jasminum auriculatum at Talakona forest, in Chittoor District of Andhra Pradesh, India.	Jasminum auriculatum at Talakona forest, in Chittoor District of Andhra Pradesh, India.	Jasmine bud in Chennai. This variety produces large flowers, but too few to be commercially viable.	Jasminum sambac flowers harvested for Malligai - Raama Baanam
Summer Jasmine Blossoms - fresh jasmine flowers from Taimu Mountain.	Jasmine Flower Green Tea - blossoms are poured onto green tea to make dragon pearl tea.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Media related to Jasminum at Wikimedia Commons
• Information related to Jasminum from Wikispecies.
• The Wiktionary definition of Jasminum
• Jasminum L. (TSN 32964). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved on 3 June 2008.
• "Flora Europaea Search Results" (HTML). Flora Europaea. Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh. http://rbg-web2.rbge.org.uk/cgi-bin/nph-readbtree.pl/feout?FAMILY_XREF=&GENUS_XREF=Jasminum. Retrieved 2008-06-03. 
• "Jasminum Linn." (HTML). Flora of Pakistan: Page 12. http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=5&taxon_id=116771. Retrieved 2008-06-03. 
• "Jasminum L. record n° 1950" (HTML). African Plants Database. South African National Biodiversity Institute, the Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques de la Ville de Genève and Tela Botanica
• Jasmine Flower. http://www.ville-ge.ch/cjb/bd/africa/details.php?langue=an&id=1950. Retrieved 2008-06-03. 
• "Jasminum". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=JASMI. Retrieved 2008-06-03. 
• Metcalf, Allan A. (1999), The World in So Many Words, Houghton Mifflin, ISBN 0395959209