Gardenia jasminoides var. radicans("Kokuchinashi")
Japanese name: コクチナシ（小梔子） Scientific name:Gardenia jasminoides var. radicans
[Overview]
An evergreen shrub.
It branches freely.
The leaves are opposite, oblanceolate, 2.5–5 cm long and 0.7–1.5 cm wide, with entire margins and a glossy surface.
The flowers are borne singly at the branch tips; they are 4–5 cm across and white, come in single and double forms, and have a strong fragrance.
The single-flowered forms bear fruit.
The fruit is obovate to elliptic with 6 ridges, the calyx lobes remain long at the tip, and it ripens to orange-yellow.
[Uses]
The fruit is used as a yellow dye for cloth and to color foods such as takuan (pickled radish) and kurikinton (sweet chestnut paste).
The fruit is also used in Chinese herbal medicine.
[Cultivation]
Propagate by cuttings.
It prefers fertile, moderately moist places in partial shade.
It must be protected from cold winter winds and frost.
It suffers feeding damage from Osukashiba larvae.
