JASMINE

also spelled Jessamine, any member of the genus Jasminum of the olive family (Oleaceae), which contains about 300 tropical and subtropical species of fragrant, flowering, woody shrubs. The plants are native to all continents except North America. Many fragrant-flowered plants from other families are given the name jasmine, including the star, or Confederate, jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides), Cape jasmine (Gardenia jasminoides), Madagascar jasmine (Stephanotis floribunda), jasmine tobacco (Nicotiana alata), Carolina jasmine (Gelsemium sempervirens), Chilean jasmine (Mandevillea suaveolens), orange jasmine (various species of the genus Murraya), night or day jasmine (various species of Cestrum), and the nonfragrant pandorea jasmine (Pandorea jasminoides). Most true jasmines have climbing branches without tendrils. The white, yellow, or rarely pink flowers are tubular with a flaring, lobed, pinwheel-like form. The leaves usually are composed of two or more leaflets, although some species have only one. The fruit in most species is a two-lobed black berry. Common jasmine, or poet's jasmine (J. officinale), native to Iran, produces fragrant white flowers that are the source of attar of jasmine used in perfumery. It is widely cultivated for its shining leaves and clusters of flowers that bloom in summer. Winter jasmine (J. nudiflorum), a Chinese species with solitary yellow flowers, is used as a cover plant on hillsides. Primrose jasmine (J. mesnyi) is a similar plant with larger flowers that bloom during the winter. Italian jasmine (J. humile), a vinelike shrub with yellow flowers, has many cultivated varieties. The fragrant dried flowers of Arabian jasmine (J. sambac) are used to make jasmine tea.