Chameli / Spanish Jasmine
Jasminum grandiflorum
Also known as Common Jasmine, Catalonian Jasmine
- Habit
- Climbing shrub
- Found in India
- Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala & more
- Flowering
- Throughout the year
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Jasminum grandiflorum
- Genus
- Jasminum
- Family
- Oleaceae
- Habit
- Climbing shrub
- Habitat
- Garden plant
- Habitat type
- Cultivated
- Distribution
- India, Subtropical North-West Himalaya
- Found in India
- Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala, West Bengal, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand
- Flowering & fruiting
- Throughout the year
- 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 opposite, 5–12 cm long, pinnate with 5–11 leaflets.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf type
- Pinnately compoundrecordedLeaflets are arranged in rows along a central stalk, like a feather.“The leaves are opposite, 5–12 cm long, pinnate with 5–11 leaflets.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
Characters marked “recorded” are for Chameli itself; the rest are typical of the Oleaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Whiterecorded“The flowers are produced in open cymes, the individual flowers are white having corolla with a basal tube 13–25 mm long and five lobes 13–22 mm long.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Flower arrangement
- CymerecordedA branched cluster where the central/terminal flower opens first.“The flowers are produced in open cymes, the individual flowers are white having corolla with a basal tube 13–25 mm long and five lobes 13–22 mm long.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Panicle
- Fruit
- Drupe
Characters marked “recorded” are for Chameli itself; the rest are typical of the Oleaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- चमेली chameli, जाति jati, chambel
- Bengali
- চামেলী, চামেলী (ফুল)
- Tamil
- Anankam, ஜாதிமல்லி Jatimalli, ஜாதிமுல்லை Jatimullai
- Telugu
- adivimalle, chambeli, జాజి
- Kannada
- Ajjege, ಅಜ್ಜಿಗೆ Ajjige, ಅಜ್ಜುಗೆ Ajjuge
- Malayalam
- malati, piccakam, piccakamulla, မုလေးပန်း norsk
- Marathi
- chameli, chembeli, जाई
- Sinhala
- සමන් පිච්ච
Chameli in India
Chameli is among India's most loved fragrant flowers, central to garlands and attar — चमेली chameli (Hindi), Anankam (Tamil), adivimalle (Telugu), Ajjege (Kannada), malati (Malayalam), chameli (Marathi). Jasminum grandiflorum is cultivated across Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala, West Bengal, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, both in gardens and commercially for its blooms.
Uses
The white, intensely fragrant flowers are strung into garlands and hair gajras, used in worship, and distilled for jasmine attar and perfume — Tamil Nadu's jasmine industry is famous. The flowers open in the evening, when the scent is strongest.
How to Identify Chameli
A scrambling climber or arching shrub with pinnate leaves of several small leaflets. The flowers are white, star-shaped with slender petals, often pink-tinged on the back of the bud, and powerfully scented — larger and more open than Arabian jasmine (mogra).
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Spanish Jasmine called in different Indian languages?
- चमेली chameli (Hindi); Anankam (Tamil); adivimalle (Telugu); Ajjege (Kannada); malati (Malayalam); chameli (Marathi); চামেলী (Bengali).
- What is chameli used for?
- Its fragrant white flowers are made into garlands and hair gajras, used in worship, and distilled into jasmine attar and perfume.
- How is chameli different from mogra?
- Chameli (Jasminum grandiflorum) has star-shaped flowers with slender petals on a climbing plant, while mogra (Jasminum sambac) has rounder, often double flowers on a bushier plant.
Oleaceae
Olive/Jasmine family
Chameli belongs to the Oleaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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Common plant problems
All plant problem & care guides →More in Oleaceae
View all Oleaceae →Sources: GBIF — Jasminum grandiflorum (India distribution & vernacular names) (CC BY 4.0) · iNaturalist — Jasminum grandiflorum (regional names, India observations) (CC BY 4.0) · Wikipedia — Jasminum grandiflorum (background/comprehension only) (CC BY-SA 4.0)