Species · genus Gardenia · Rubiaceae
Cape Jessamine
Gardenia thunbergia Thunb.
Also known as: Forest Gardenia · Starry Gardenia · Wild Gardenia
Cultivars of G. thunbergia
The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.
No named cultivars catalogued under G. thunbergia yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.
Guide
The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.
Gardenia thunbergia is a woody shrub or small tree from the subtropical forest margins and grassland of southern Africa, so it wants bright light with shelter from harsh midday sun and freely draining soil. Water when the top inch of mix has dried, keeping it evenly moist in growth but never sitting wet, as the roots dislike stagnant water.
Care recipe
The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.
Care notes are early — not yet verified
- Light
- ai:claude-opus-4-8
- Water
- ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 5-10d)
- Humidity
- ai:claude-opus-4-8
- Soil
- ai:claude-fable-5
- Care
- ai:claude-fable-5
Bright, indirect
≈ every 10 days
Medium
13–27 °C
Acidic, well-draining loamy mix
Semi-hardwood cuttings or seed
Acid-formula feed monthly while growing
Slow
Fragrant white flowers in bright light
Not yet documented
This is where toxicity lives — every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.
Reference images
Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.
No reference gallery yet
A few clear photos — habit, a mature leaf, a flower if it blooms — would give this page its eyes.
Add imagesSources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 5-10d) · ai:claude-fable-5
Kept true by its growers
Every fact here carries its source. Grow Cape Jessamine yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — is exactly what keeps this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.
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