Genus: Gardenia

Life > eukaryotes > Archaeoplastida > Chloroplastida > Charophyta > Streptophytina > Plantae (land plants) > Tracheophyta (vascular plants) > Euphyllophyta > Lignophyta (woody plants) > Spermatophyta (seed plants) > Angiospermae (flowering plants) > Eudicotyledons > Core Eudicots > Asterids > Euasterid I > Order: Gentianales > Family: Rubiaceae

About 60 species, native to tropical and warm regions of the Old World, with nine species native to southern Africa and a further species that is cultivated in the region.

Species native to southern Africa

List from Plants of Southern Africa - an Online Checklist (SANBI), Flora of Zimbabwe and Flora of Mozambique.

Gardenia brachythamnus
Gardenia cornuta (Natal gardenia)
Gardenia imperialis (Large pink gardenia) Recorded from Zimbabwe and Mozambique. See Flora of Zimbabwe.
Gardenia lutea
Gardenia posoquerioides Native to tropical Africa with the distribution extending into Zimbabwe.
Gardenia resiniflua See Flora of Zimbabwe.
Gardenia ternifolia See Flora of Zimbabwe.
Gardenia thunbergia (White gardenia)
Gardenia volkensii (Savanna gardenia, Transvaal gardenia) See Flora of Zimbabwe.

Other species, cultivated in southern Africa

List from Glen (2002).

Gardenia augusta [=Gardenia jasminoides] Native to China. Referred to confusingly as Cape gardenia, but does not originate from South Africa.

Publications

• Bridson, D.M. & Verdcourt, B. 1988. Flora of Tropical East Africa. Rubiaceae (part 2): 415-747.

• Glen, H.F. 2002. Cultivated Plants of Southern Africa. Jacana, Johannesburg.