Common name: Gardenia
Botanical name: Gardenia jasminoides
Gardenia jasminoides is a fragrant flower growing in Vietnam, Southern China, Taiwan and Japan. The bloom is used as a yellow dye, which is used for clothes and food (including the Korean mung bean jelly called hwangpomuk). The Cape Jasmine name comes from the earlier belief that the flower originated in Cape of Good Hope, South Africa. Gardenia jasminoides fructus (fruit) is used within Traditional Chinese Medicine to “drain fire” and thereby treat certain febrile conditions.
