Gardenia carinata

Published by Daniel Mosquin on April 16, 2019

Family / Families: Rubiaceae
Scientific Name(s): Gardenia carinata Wall. ex Roxb.
Location(s): Coral Gables, Florida, USA (cultivated)
Entry Author(s): Nathalie Buu
Copyright Holder(s): 3Point141@Flickr
Image Permissions: Please contact the copyright holder for permission to use.
Photographer(s) Appreciation: Thank you to 3Point141@Flickr for this submission of Gardenia carinata, via the Botany Photo of the Day Flickr Pool.
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Flowers of <i>Gardenia carinata</i> folding for the evening

Flowers of Gardenia carinata folding for the evening

Golden gardenia, or Gardenia carinata, is a member of the coffee family or Rubiaceae.

The native distribution of Gardenia carinata is in parts of southeast Asia, specifically Malaya and Thailand. Unsurprisingly, this is a species of humid tropical environments. It can inhabit lowlands, hills, and forests.

Gardenia carinata can grow as a large spherical shrub or small tree, with a height between 6-15m (18-45 ft.). The sweetly-fragrant flowers are large and resemble a pinwheel during the day (see link in this paragraph). When Gardenia carinata‘s flowers first blossom in spring or summer, they are white. Over the span of a few days, the flowers first turn a pale orange and finally a bright golden orange, which looks quite striking against the green foliage as in today’s photograph. Once they’ve reached this colour, they will soon fall to the ground.

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7 responses to “Gardenia carinata”

  1. Denis
    Denis April 16, 2019 at 6:18 pm | Reply

    Wow, that yellow!

  2. jeanne erdahl
    jeanne erdahl April 16, 2019 at 7:31 pm | Reply

    Except for the gold color, they look quite similar to the Tahitian gardenia that I have been wearing in my hair all day here on Maui in order to enjoy its entrancing fragrance

  3. Laurel Slaney
    Laurel Slaney April 16, 2019 at 8:29 pm | Reply

    Well the link clears up why it is called pinwheel. Still stunning.

  4. 3point141
    3point141 April 16, 2019 at 9:25 pm | Reply

    Thanks to the UBC Botanical Garden for selecting another one from my images of flowers.

    I continue to enjoy and learn from thé wide varieties of entries that you select from around thé world.

    Please keep up thé good work.
    I

  5. Wendy Cutler
    Wendy Cutler April 16, 2019 at 11:05 pm | Reply

    Nathalie comments on her flickr page that the common name is also used for Gardenia tubifera. I found one photo that purports to show the differences by showing them side by side, but I don’t know what I’m supposed to notice I see golden gardenias quite often in Hawaii and would like to know if I’ve correctly named them G. tubifera. Are the G. carinata leaves more prominently veined? Is there a reference that distinguishes them?

  6. Tierney Rosenstock
    Tierney Rosenstock April 17, 2019 at 8:54 am | Reply

    Fantastic! I love gardenias!

  7. Lindsay
    Lindsay April 22, 2019 at 10:41 am | Reply

    Wow! There is another very fragrant flower here in Hawaii that starts out a creamy white and as it “ages” it turns a beautiful orange color. It is called Puakenikeni. Would love to see a future BPOTD on it. Keep up the excellent work!

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