Japanese name: マツリカ（茉莉花） Scientific name:Jasminum sambac
[Overview]
An evergreen climbing shrub.
The twigs are densely covered with soft hairs.
The leaves are simple, opposite or in whorls of 3, broadly ovate, 5–12 cm long and 3–9 cm wide, hairless, with conspicuous veins.
The flowers are borne 3–12 in cymes at the branch tips.
The flowers are white and salverform, and the corolla has 5 lobes, but there are also garden cultivars with double flowers.
[History]
There is a record that in 1614 Shimazu Iehisa presented it to Tokugawa Ieyasu in Japan.
[Uses]
The flowers have a strong fragrance, and perfume and tea made from the flowers are famous.
It is regarded as the national flower in Indonesia and the Philippines, and is used for leis in Hawaii and elsewhere.
[Cultivation]
Propagate by cuttings.
It prefers a sunny location and sandy soil.
