Gardenia — Cape Jessamine. 119 



leaves, and foliage which is brilliant red or scarlet. 

 B. sinensis has its fruit in racemes, and it is large and 

 brilliant red, hanging on late into the winter. B. illicifolia 

 comes from Terra del Fuego, and has foliage resembling 

 that of the holly. It is nearly evergreen in the North, 

 and wholly so in the South, where it proves very effective 

 as a garden plant. 



GARDENIA— Cape Jessamine. 



TH E gardenias are all natives of warin climates, being 

 indigenous to tropical Asia and southern Africa, 

 especially to the region about the Cape of Good 

 Hope. They are delightful plants in cultivation, but are 

 not suitable for northern gardens. They belong to the 

 order Rubiacece, and constitute a genus of about sixty spe- 

 cies, all evergreens, growing in shrubby form, with good 

 foliage and large white blossoms. These last are some- 

 what funnel-shaped, having tubes much longer than the 

 calyx, and being deliciously fragrant. They are especially 

 prized for cutting, and bear the operation well. The 

 blossoms come forward freely in succession. Whether 

 grown in the open ground or under cover, they are of the 

 easiest possible cultivation. The species and varieties 

 best known in the South are all natives of China and 

 Japan, though the list might well be enlarged and enriched 

 by additions from other countries if desired. 



G. fiorida is probably best known in American gardens 

 and, with its varieties, most fully appreciated. The double 

 white flowers are solitary, almost sessile, usually terminal, 

 and deliciously fragrant. They appear in midsummer, 



