Common Name: Star Jasmine

General Information

Trachelospermum jasminoides is an evergreen shrub producing climbing stems up to 10 metres long that twine into other plants for support[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for its wide range of local medicinal applications and as a source of essential oil and fibre

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

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Range

E. Asia - China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam.

Habitat

Sunny edges of forests, brushwoods at elevations from 200 - 1,300 metres[]. Found as a weed in Chinese gardens where it grows on walls and trees[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Habit	Evergreen Climber
Height	6.00 m
Growth Rate	Slow
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Star jasmine is found from the warm temperate to the tropical zones. It can tolerate temperatures down to about -10°c[, ].
Requires a well-drained moderately retentive soil in full sun or with part-day shade[]. Requires a good humus-rich soil[]. Succeeds in moderately acid or alkaline soils[].
Found as a weed in Chinese gardens, where it grows on walls and trees[].
Plants are slow-growing when they are young and they are then more susceptible to damage by frost and cold winds[, ]. They may put on no new growth for the first 2 - 3 years after planting out[].
A twining plant[]. Plants are self-clinging on walls according to other reports[, ].
Flowers are produced on short laterals that grow from old wood[]. The flowers are deliciously scented[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The leaf is restorative and tonic[, ]. This plant is especially useful for the aged[].

The flowering stem is analgesic, antibacterial, antirheumatic, antispasmodic, depurative, emmenagogue, febrifuge, resolvent, tonic and vasodilator[, ]. A decoction is used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, sore throats and various boils and abscesses[, ].

The seed is cardiotonic and haemostatic[].

The whole plant is cooked with other foods and used to treat rheumatism[].

Other Uses

A strong fibre is made from the inner bark[]. It is used in making ropes, sacks and paper[].

An essential oil is obtained from the flowers[].

Propagation

Seed - we have no information for this species but suggest sowing the seed in a greenhouse in early spring. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 6 - 8cm with a heel, August in a frame. Ensure that the milky sap, which is excreted from the heel when the cutting is taken, has dried out before the cutting is inserted in the soil. Fair to good percentage[].
Layering in summer[]. The plant self-layers, sending out roots from leaf nodes and stem tips wherever they touch the ground[].