Jasmine

Jasmine (Jasminum,,Sunset Western Garden Book, 1995:606–607. via Arabic from the Persian yasmin, i.e. "gift from God","jasmine, -in, jessamine, -in", OED"jasmine." Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged. Merriam-Webster, 2002.Metcalf, 1999, p. 123.) 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. The leaves can be either evergreen (green all year round) or deciduous (falling in autumn).
==Species==
Species include:
*Jasminum abyssinicum Hochst. ex DC. – Forest jasmine
*Jasminum adenophyllum Wall. – Pinwheel Jasmine, Bluegrape jasmine, Princess jasmine, Che vang, Lai la co tuyenBluegrape jasmine
*Jasminum angulare Vahl
*Jasminum dichotomum Vahl – Gold Coast Jasmine
*Jasminum didymum (widespread throughout the South Pacific and Australasia)
*Jasminum grandiflorum L. – Spanish Jasmine, Royal Jasmine, Catalonian Jasmine
*Jasminum humile L. – Italian Yellow Jasmine
 
 
*Jasminum lanceolarium Roxb.
*Jasminum mesnyi Hance – Japanese Jasmine, Primrose Jasmine, Yellow Jasmine
*Jasminum multiflorum Hance – Indian Jasmine, Winter Jasmine
*Jasminum multipartitum Hochst. - Starry Wild Jasmine
*Jasminum nervosum Lour.
*Jasminum odoratissimum L. – Yellow Jasmine
*Jasminum officinale L. – Common Jasmine, Poet's Jasmine, jasmine, jessamine
*Jasminum parkeri Dunn – Dwarf Jasmine
*Jasminum polyanthum Franch.
*Jasminum sambac (L.) Aiton – Arabian Jasmine
*Jasminum sinense Hemsl.
*Jasminum urophyllum Hemsl.
== 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.
== As a weed ==
Jasminum fluminense, which is sometimes known by the inaccurate name "Brazilian Jasmine", is an invasive species in Hawaii and Florida. J. dichotomum, also called Gold Coast Jasmine, is also an invasive weed in Florida.
== Other info ==
Jasmine gave name to the jasmonate plant hormones as methyl jasmonate isolated from the jasmine oil of Jasminum grandiflorum led to the dicovery of the molecular structure of jasmonates.
==Gallery==
 
File:Jasmine Bud in Chennai during Spring.JPG| Jasmine bud in Chennai. This variety produces large flowers, but too few to be commercially viable.
==References==
Category:Jasmine