Focus of Flora: Star Jasmine shines bright

It's the holiday season and the Camana Bay Town Centre teems with decorations, festivities and, of course, an outstanding Christmas tree on the Crescent.

The Christmas tree is one of the most symbolic holiday adornments across the globe, and many cultures chose to top their trees with the ornament that is most significant to their traditions. In some cases, a star is used, which is representative of the Star of Bethlehem. In horticulture, we love when nature lands us a common name based on appearances as it helps immensely with identification.

The star jasmine is named such for its close resemblance to a star, of course — bright white in colour, and petals, or corollas, that radiate outward. Like other jasmine, the star jasmine — or Jasminum multiflorum — is a gorgeous evergreen shrub with shiny deep green leaves and a soft weeping habit, making it a lovely choice for a standalone focal or a hedge.

Reaching heights of 10 feet with a spread two-thirds the height, it's important to give the star jasmine plenty of room to grown as it can become quite dense, leading to a need for moderate thinning from time to time. These shrubs prefer fertile, well-draining soil and will benefit from added organic matter such as compost a few times a year. Flowering best in full sun, they can tolerate a bit of shade but truly perform best in sunny, hot and humid climates of the tropics and subtropics.

Native to the Indian subcontinent and mainland Asia, star jasmine holds significant presences in many cultures and has many uses, both medicinal and social. In some places, it is associated with love and prosperity and is given commonly as a gift. Jasminum comes from the Persian word “yasmin” for jasmine, and the specific epithet multiflorum is Latin, meaning “many flowered."

Though not hardly as fragrant — if at all — in comparison to other jasmine, it is still a stunning little shrub and is a nice addition to any landscape. In Camana Bay, it can be found in Jasmine Court by the car park.

This article was first published in the December 2024/January 2025 print edition of Camana Bay Times.