Jasminum sambac

Jasminum sambac (Arabian jasmine or Sambac jasmine) is a species of jasmine native to Bhutan and India. It is cultivated in many places, especially West Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia. It is naturalised in many scattered locales: Mauritius, Madagascar, the Maldives, Christmas Island, Chiapas, Central America, southern Florida, the Bahamas, Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and the Lesser Antilles. Jasminum sambac is a small shrub or vine growing up to 0.5 to 3 m (1.6 to 9.8 ft) in height. It is widely cultivated for its attractive and sweetly fragrant flowers. The flowers may be used as a fragrant ingredient in perfumes and jasmine tea. It is the national flower of the Philippines, where it is known as sampaguita, as well as being one of the three national flowers of Indonesia, where it is known as melati putih.

Description

A shrub. It grows 1-3 m high. It climbs. The leaves are opposite. They are oval and 3-12 cm long by 2-7.5 cm wide. The leaf stalk is 5-10 mm long. The leaves are papery. There are 4-6 veins on either side of the main vein. The flower group is at the end of branches. There are 3-9 flowers together. The flowers are white and have a sweet smell. There are many petals and they are rounded. The fruit is a berry which is purple black and round. It is about 1 cm across.

Edible Uses

The dried flowers of Jasminum sambac are widely used to scent tea, particularly in China. They can be used alongside Jasminum lanceolaria flowers: 30 kilos of J. sambac flowers are combined with 10 kilos of J. lanceolaria flowers to scent 100 kilos of tea. Aromatic water prepared from the flowers is also popular in Thai cooking, especially for desserts.

Medicinal Uses

Roots and leaves are important in Ayurvedic medicine. Both leaves and flowers are used medicinally, with the leaves having a stronger action than the flowers. They are antiamoebic, astringent, febrifuge, and galactofuge. A decoction is taken internally to treat fever, and an infusion is used for pulmonary catarrh, bronchitis, and asthma. A poultice of the leaves is applied externally to treat skin complaints and wounds. Bruised leaves or flowers applied as a poultice to the breasts of lactating women discourage breast milk production. An infusion of the flowers is applied to the eyelids as a decongestant. The stems are used as an antipyretic and in treating abscesses. A tincture made from the root is said to have strong sedative, anaesthetic, and vulnerary properties. The root is given fresh to treat fevers and venereal diseases, and a decoction is used for pulmonary catarrh, bronchitis, and asthma. The roots are also applied externally as poultices for sprains and fractures.

Known Hazards

The LD50 of jasmine extract is greater than 5 mg/kg by weight.

Distribution

It is a tropical plant. It is widely cultivated in China. It is moderately salt tolerant. It needs regular moisture and an average, well-drained soil. It needs full sun. It needs a temperature above 13-15°C. In XTBG Yunnan. It suits hardiness zones 10-12.

Where It Grows

Found at elevations up to 600 metres.

Cultivation

Succeeds in lowland areas of the tropics and subtropics. Plants can only tolerate occasional light frosts. Succeeds in full sun and in partial shade. Requires a moist but well-drained soil. Prefers a light soil that is rich in organic matter. The average annual flower yield is 1 - 7 tonnes per hectare and the essential oil yield is 0.1 - 0.2%. Jasmine flowers are picked manually between dawn and 10 a.m., during the hot season in India even between 3 - 8 a.m. Preferably only half-opened and fresh fully opened flowers must be picked, not buds or old (yellowish) flowers, as these will depress the quality of the essential oil. Although rain makes the flowers almost useless, picking flowers in the rain should continue, to promote further flowering. An experienced picker can harvest 0.5 kg flowers per hour, but the pickers are usually young women and children, who achieve 2 kg in 5 hours. Jasmine flowers must be quickly processed, since delay substantially reduces essential oil content. Flowers should be kept shaded and cool between picking and processing and the processing facility should be close to the plantation. Freshly picked flowers can be stored in polythene bags at 15°c without loss of yield, quality or odour. Jasmine oil can be obtained from flowers by steam distillation but the yield is very low. Jasmine concrete is obtained from flowers, formerly by enfleurage, currently by solvent extraction. In solvent extraction, flowers are washed up to 3 times with petroleum ether or, preferably, with hydrocarbon-free food-grade hexane; the extract is then distilled to remove the solvent, resulting in the concrete. Concrete is usually produced at the plantation, but absolute is produced where convenient, often in another country. Plants can flower all year round. The flowers are exceptionally fragrant. This species is the national flower of the Philippine Islands.

Propagation

Seed does not require pre-treatment and is best sown in a partially shaded position as soon as it is ripe. Cuttings 12–20 cm long taken from terminal shoots benefit from treatment with a root stimulator to improve strike rate. Semi-ripe cuttings 8 cm long placed in a sandy medium generally root within four weeks; shoot tip cuttings have given better results than semi-ripe cuttings. Cuttings are typically treated with a fungicide, placed in prepared planting holes, and watered. For layering, one-year-old field shoots are used: a slanting cut is made approximately halfway through the shoot about 50 cm from the end, the cut is buried 10–15 cm deep with the tip remaining above ground. After 4–6 months, rooted layers can be separated from the parent plant and transplanted.

Other Uses

The essential oil from the flowers is used in perfumery. The plant holds cultural and religious significance in several traditions: it is a sacred flower in Indonesian culture, symbolising purity, sacredness, simplicity, and sincerity; in Cambodia it is offered to the Buddha; in Hawaii it is known as pīkake and used to make fragrant leis; and in Hinduism it is sacred to all forms of the Goddess Devi, used in meditation, decoration, fragrance, and worship. In South-East Asia it is one of the most popular ornamental plants, with numerous cultivars in existence. In the UK it has received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

Synonyms

Also Known As

Adukkumalli, Banmallika, Boddumalle, Chamba, Chameli, Checupichakam, Diamela, Elusuttu mallige, Geta pichcha, Gundumalle, Gundumalli, Iruvantige, Jessamine, Kolumallige, Kudamulla, Kudumalligai, Mali laa, Mali, Maliwan, Mallika, Manmathabanmu, Mawk-sam-pai, Melati, Mlis, Mo li hua, Moghra, Mogra, Moli flower, Mollokhoi, Motia, Nallamulla, Pikake, Pitasi, Sabe, Sabe-gyi, Sampagita, Sujimallige, Te bitati, Virupakschi

References (43)

• Ambasta, S.P. (Ed.), 2000, The Useful Plants of India. CSIR India. p 299
• Arora, R. K., 2014, Diversity in Underutilized Plant Species - An Asia-Pacific Perspective. Bioversity International. p 104
• Bremness, L., 1994, Herbs. Collins Eyewitness Handbooks. Harper Collins. p 281
• Brown, D., 2002, The Royal Horticultural Society encyclopedia of Herbs and their uses. DK Books. p 246
• Burkill, H. M., 1985, The useful plants of west tropical Africa, Vol. 4. Kew.

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