PLANTS
PLANTS IN THE
GARDENS DISCOVER MORE ABOUT THE WONDERFUL PLANTS TO LOOK OUT FOR NEXT TIME YOU VISIT THE GARDENS.
Tree Gardenia
TREE GARDENIA
Gardenia thunbergia Family Rubiaceae Although there are around 60 species in the genus Gardenia, most of us are only familiar with the shrubby Gardenia augusta and Gardenia florida beloved byfloristsandhomegardenersalike. This large and varied genus of shrubs and small trees is native to areas of South Africa, Southeast Asia and northern Australia. This particular species, known as Tree Gardenia or Star Gardenia, is native to South Africa, where it is found in humid forest regions with high rainfall. It was originally given its name to honour a Scottish doctor, Alexander Garden, a correspondent of Linnaeus. The species name, thunbergia, is named for Peter Thunberg, a student of Linnaeus, who travelled as a doctor with the Dutch East India Company to Japan and later to South Africa. Following that period, he taught botany at Uppsala University in Sweden. Thsi elvol ply ansit classifiedasaal t l shrub or small tree, generally growing
about 2.5–3 metres tall, with a somewhat spreading habit. It has evergreen foliage that is dark glossy green above, but somewhat paler beneath. Branches are fairly horizontal, spreading to around 2.5–3 metres wide at maturity. Thesweetly-perfumedflowers normally appear from late spring into summer, sometimes lasting into late an J ar u Th. y eyareabo6–8 tu cenetmit es r wide and pure milky-white, with a velvety texe.tur Theyareflattishinshapeatopa slenderbe. ut ear nI eril es, mit eht floerw s were popular as a buttonhole. Sometimes they were also used to scent tea. It is said that fruits, rarely seen in cultivation, were known to have been used in Chinese herbal medicine as teat r mentsforinfluenzaandcolds. TreeGardeniawasfirstintorduced into Australia in the mid-19th century,
‘The sweetly-perfumed flowers were sometimes used to scent tea’
beinglistedinthe1843 Catalogue of Camden Park Nursery and indeed, Shepherds Darling Nursery soon after thatin1851.Theoriginalplantin he Royal Botanic Garden Sydney is featured in Director Charles Moore’s cataloguefor1857. Ideally it should be grown in a sunny spot sheltered from strong winds. Soils enriched with decayed organic matter are ideal, but they must be free draining. Regular deep watering is needed during the hotter months of the year but soil should be allowed to dry out between watering in cooler weather. Slow-release fertiliser may be applied during the warmer months and the root zone mulched with decayed compost or manure. Little or no pruning is generally required. Growing Friends Plant Sales may have this desirable plant from time to time, but with a scarcity of suitable propagation material it cannot be guaranteed. We continue to try! It can be seen in the Royal Botanic ar G denbed ni 85far ton frehtmo erH b Garden, and also bed 7 near the Woolloomooloo Gate. Margaret Hanks, Growing Friends, Royal Botanic Garden Sydney
The beautiful flower of a Tree Gardenia
THE GARDENS SPRING 2022 27
