Murraya exotica Seeds | Orange Jasmine
LATIN NAME: Murraya exotica
COMMON NAME: Orange Jasmine
Plant Profile
Orange jasmine is an evergreen shrub or small tree of the citrus family from southern China and tropical Asia, growing two to four metres with a dense crown of glossy, pinnate leaves and a trunk with smooth, pale bark. From spring to autumn it carries clusters of small, five-petalled white flowers with a scent that is sweeter and more concentrated than orange blossom, and these are followed by small, oval, bright red berries that hold on the bush for months. It clips into a dense hedge and is one of the most popular hedging plants in warm climates, from Florida to southern China. It is also grown as a container plant and as a subject for bonsai, and in the Philippines its flowers are strung into garlands.
Science & Biotechnology
Murraya exotica is now usually treated as a synonym of Murraya paniculata, and the name on the label depends on which flora the nursery follows. The genus sits in the citrus family, close to the true citruses, and its leaves contain the same kinds of essential oils, though in a different balance, which is why crushed leaves smell of orange peel and curry at once. The species is the preferred host of the Asian citrus psyllid, the insect that carries huanglongbing, or citrus greening, and for that reason it is regulated or discouraged near citrus orchards in several countries. That fact alone makes it a plant to site carefully. Its seed is short-lived and the seedling is variable, so named forms are propagated by cuttings.
Uses & Benefits
The plant is used as a clipped hedge, a screen, a container specimen and a bonsai subject, and its flowers are used for garlands and for scenting in Southeast Asia. The leaves are used as a flavouring in some regional cuisines, though they are not the curry leaf of Indian cooking, which comes from a different species. In traditional medicine the leaves and root bark are used for pain and for inflammation, and the plant appears in the pharmacopoeias of several Asian countries. The berries are eaten by birds but are mildly toxic to people. In the garden it needs full sun to flower well, tolerates clipping and poor soil, and is drought-hardy once established. It should not be planted within a few hundred metres of commercial citrus.
Growing from Seed
Sow fresh seed, since it loses viability within weeks, in a free-draining mix at twenty-five degrees, one centimetre deep. Germination takes three to five weeks. The seedling grows slowly at first and needs a rich compost and steady water. Grow on in a pot for the first two years, then plant out into well-drained soil in full sun, or keep it as a hedge plant and clip it after each flush. Water through dry spells, feed in spring, and protect from frost, which it will not survive. For a hedge, space plants sixty centimetres apart and clip two or three times a season. Cuttings of semi-ripe wood in summer are the way to keep a named form.
Our Take
The orange jasmine of warm-climate hedges, with red berries and a heavy scent. Keep it well away from commercial citrus.
Related Reading
Gardeners who grow Orange Jasmine often pair it with these related subjects: