Trachelospermum jasminoides (confederate jasmine, "Tokyochikuto")

Japanese name: トウキョウチクトウ （唐夾竹桃）
Scientific name: Trachelospermum jasminoides

[Overview]
An evergreen woody vine.
The stems grow long and climb trees and rock walls by means of aerial roots.
Young branches are hairy at first but later become hairless.
The leaves are simple and opposite, elliptic to lanceolate, 2–10 cm long and 1–4.5 cm wide, with entire margins and a glossy upper surface.
The leaves are hairless or may have sparse hairs on the upper surface.
They have short petioles.
Cymes bear flowers 1–2 cm across.
The corolla is 5-lobed, twisted in one direction, white and fragrant.
The throat of the flower is hairless or hairy.
In the corolla tube, the thick part and the narrow part are almost the same length.
The sepals are about 0.2–0.5 cm long, spreading or reflexed, and softly hairy on the outside.
The fruit is a follicle 10–25 cm long, borne in pairs, and splits open when ripe.
The seeds have long white hairs.

[Cultivation]
Propagate by cuttings or layering; both are easy.
It prefers sun to partial shade and fertile, well-drained, moderately moist soil.
Direct summer sun can scorch the leaves, so it is best to move potted plants to partial shade in summer.
For potted plants, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries; for plants in the ground, rainfall is sufficient.
If fertilizer is applied at planting, no further fertilizer is particularly needed, but for potted plants, slow-release fertilizer may be placed on the soil in spring and autumn, or liquid fertilizer may be given.
Flower buds form in summer, so frequent pruning will prevent flowering; if you want to enjoy the flowers, prune only immediately after flowering.
There are no particular pests or diseases.

View this page in Japanese (日本語)