Gandhraj / Cape Jasmine
Gardenia jasminoides
Also known as Bush Gardenia, Bunga Cine
- Habit
- Shrub
- Found in India
- West Bengal, Maharashtra, Kerala & more
- Flowering
- August-May
How to identify Gandhraj
Identify Gandhraj by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a shrub habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Intensely fragrant double white flowers (cape jasmine).
- Confirm leaf arrangement: Opposite.
- Confirm leaf surface: Glabrous (smooth, hairless).
- Confirm flower colour: White.
- Confirm flower arrangement: Solitary.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: August-May.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Gardenia jasminoides
- Genus
- Gardenia
- Family
- Rubiaceae
- Habit
- Shrub
- Habitat
- Grown as garden plant
- Habitat type
- Cultivated
- Native to
- East Asia
- Distribution
- Tropical Asia
- Found in India
- West Bengal, Maharashtra, Kerala, Assam, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Delhi, Puducherry, Punjab
- Flowering & fruiting
- August-May
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf arrangement
- OppositerecordedTwo leaves arise from the stem at the same point, facing each other.“The leaves are in opposite pairs or rarely in groups of three along the branches.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf surface
- Glabrous (smooth, hairless)recorded
Typical of the family
Characters marked “recorded” are for Gandhraj itself; the rest are typical of the Rubiaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Whiterecorded
- Flower arrangement
- SolitaryrecordedA single flower borne alone, not in a cluster.“The flowers are solitary and terminal, arising from the ends of the stems.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Cyme
- Fruit
- Berry
Characters marked “recorded” are for Gandhraj itself; the rest are typical of the Rubiaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- Gandhraj गंधराज,अनंत वृक्ष ananta vriksh
- Nepali
- इन्द्र कमल Indra Kamal, थल कमल Thal Kamal, इन्द्रकमल
- Bengali
- গংধৰাজ Gandhraj, গন্ধরাজ
- Tamil
- Karinga, கும்பிலி
- Kannada
- ಸುವಾಸನೆಮಲ್ಲೆ Suvasane malle
- Malayalam
- ഗന്ധരാജൻ
- Marathi
- अनंत Anant, गंधराज Gandhraj, अनंत, गंधराज
- Assamese
- তগৰ
Gandhraj in India
This fragrant shrub, known as Gandhraj गंधराज (Hindi), Karinga (Tamil), ಸುವಾಸನೆಮಲ್ಲೆ Suvasane malle (Kannada), ഗന്ധരാജൻ (Malayalam), अनंत Anant (Marathi), গংধৰাজ Gandhraj (Bengali), is grown widely for its intensely scented white flowers. Gardenia jasminoides is grown across West Bengal, Maharashtra, Kerala, Assam, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, popular in gardens for its fragrance.
Uses
It's grown almost entirely as a fragrant ornamental shrub, its waxy white flowers prized for both garden display and cut-flower fragrance.
How to Identify Gandhraj
A dense evergreen shrub with glossy, dark green leaves. Flowers are waxy white, richly fragrant, with numerous overlapping petals in cultivated double-flowered forms, followed by ridged orange-yellow fruit occasionally used as a natural dye.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Cape Jasmine called in different Indian languages?
- Gandhraj गंधराज (Hindi); Karinga (Tamil); ಸುವಾಸನೆಮಲ್ಲೆ Suvasane malle (Kannada); ഗന്ധരാജൻ (Malayalam); अनंत Anant (Marathi); গংধৰাজ Gandhraj (Bengali).
- Why do the flowers turn yellow with age?
- Like many white flowers, gardenia petals gradually oxidise and yellow as they age, which is a normal part of the flower's natural lifecycle rather than a sign of poor care.
- Is the fruit used for anything?
- Yes — in some traditions, the ripe orange-yellow fruit is used as a natural yellow dye, distinct from the plant's more common ornamental use.
Rubiaceae
Coffee/Madder family
Gandhraj belongs to the Rubiaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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Common plant problems
If you are starting from symptoms instead of a diagnosis, use the plant disease symptom checker to narrow the cause before treating.
All plant problem & care guidesMore in Rubiaceae
View all RubiaceaeSources: GBIF — Gardenia jasminoides (India distribution & vernacular names) (CC BY 4.0) · Wikipedia — Gardenia jasminoides (background/comprehension only) (CC BY-SA 4.0)