The cape jasmine (Gardenia jasminoides) is native to eastern Asia and can be found across Japan, producing single and double flowered blooms from June to July in Tokyo. When its buds start to open, their green bases are still visible, which gives the blooms a beautiful color accent.
Cape jasmine's Japanese name is "kuchi nashi," which translates into "no mouth," because the fruits (scroll down) don't crack even after ripening. The fruits are used to give a yellow color (unexpected from the flower's white) to food, such as kuri kinton or mashed sweet potato with chestnuts, one of the traditional Japanese New Year foods.
Double flowered cape jasmine rarely produces fruits because most of their stamens have transformed into petals like some species of the Japanese camellia.
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| 2026/6/17 |
