Cook Islands Biodiversity Database

Species Page

Back to: «« Search Page | « Results Page

Add to My List

Gardenia augusta

Tiare Taina

Gardenia

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Flowers - single and double	42KB
Image:	Double flowers - large and small	77KB
Image:	Single-flower and leaves	45KB
Image:	Double-flower and variegated leaves	51KB
Image:	Leaves and flower (small form)	34KB
Image:	Double-flower and fruit (Rarotonga)	37KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Gardenia, Common Gardenia, Cape Jasmine, Cape Jessamine, Jasmin; German Gardenie; French Tiare Taina

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Tiare Taina (RR MG AT MK MT AK RK)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE s.China - Taiwan - Japan

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent, Not naturalised; Land, lowlands - mountains (++)

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Ornamental flowers

KEY FEATURES: Shrub to 2m. LEAVES paired (or 3), glossy green to dark green, oval, to 15x7cm; stalk very short. FLOWERS terminal, solitary, strongly fragrant, white, 8cmØ (small varieties) to 12cmØ; petals double (3 layers of 6), wide-oval, waxy. FRUIT rare, oval 2cmØ, orange with 6 green blade-like ridges forming a long-spiked crown. Variegated forms have leaves white with green or grey.

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present Makatea: Present
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
++++	+++	++	+	+	++?		-	-

Northern Group: Present
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
-	-	+	-	-	-

Key to Symbols

blank	no data
-	absent	L	localised
X	extinct 'naturally'	W	widespread
XQi	quarantine intercepted	R	recent
XQe	eradicated	?	query preceding category
P	present	T?	taxonomic query
S	seasonal	nn	present, said to have no name
O	occasional	?1	present, name not investigated
++++	very common	?2	presence not verified, no name recorded
+++	common	N/A	absent, name not expected
++	uncommon
+	rare
Cook Islands islands: RR =Rarotonga, MG = Mangaia, AT =‘Ātiu, MK=Ma‘uke, MT=Miti‘āro, AK=Aitutaki, PL=Palmerston, PN=Penrhyn, MN=Manuae, TK=Takūtea, TN=Tongareva (TS=Tongaleva Spoken, TW=Tongareva Written, they say "el" but write "r"), MH=Manihiki, RK=Rakahanga, PK=Pukapuka, NS=Nassau, SW=Suwarrow. After a Polynesian name: ^=orthography query. Countries and other: FIJ=Fiji, WT=Wallis & Futuna, SAM=Samoa, TON=Tonga, NIU=Niue, CK=Cook Islands, CKM=Cook Islands Māori, FP=French Polynesia, AUS=Australs, SOC=Societies, TAH=Tahiti, TUA=Tuamotus, MQS=Marquesas, MNG=Mangareva, PIT=Pitcain group, EAS=Easter Island, HAW=Hawai‘i, NZ=New Zealand, NZM=New Zealand Māori

Scientific Taxonomy

Gardenia augusta Linnaeus
SYNONYMS: Gardenia jasminoides [sensu]; Gardenia florida L.; Gardenia grandiflora; Gardenia radicans

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); MAGNOLIOPSIDA (=Dicotyledones); ASTERIDAE; Rubiales; RUBIACEAE

More Information

IDENTIFICATION: Shrub to 2m. LEAVES paired (or triplet), simple, glossy green to dark green, oval, to 15x7cm, tip sharp, base tapering; stalk 0.5cm. FLOWERS terminal, usually solitary, showy, strongly fragrant, white, 12cmØ; petals doubled (3 layers of 6), wide-oval, waxy; calyx green with 6 narrow teeth, to 3cm. FRUIT rare, 2cmØ, ripening orange with 6 green blade-like ridges extending into a long-spiked crown. The cultivars divided into two groups: the large-flowered and large-leaved (as described) group; and the small-flowered (8cmØ) and small-leaved (to 11x5cm) group with calyx teeth to 1cm. Variegated forms have leaves green or grey with white or off-white.

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: fieldspecimens+photos, 2004, Kunzlé garden double small and large, and variegated form, G.McCormack with ID as Gardenia augusta; fieldspecimen+photo, Takuva'ine valley, double small and large with fruit, 3/2005, G.McCormack with ID Gardenia augusta; fieldspecimen+photo, single-flower, Ere Maruariki garden Tūpapa, 11/2004, G.McCormack with ID as Gardenia augusta, confirmed B.Sykes, 11/2004.

References:
p.799 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.495 Hortus 3rd
p.493 Royal Hort. Soc. Index of Garden Plants
p.866 Tropica
p.4/180 A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova
p.403d Whistler - Ethnobotany of the Cook Islands
p.40 McCormack/Kunzle - Rarotonga's Mountain Tracks and Plants

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zupM04b, zD02, zupD04a

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org.
Please refer to our use policy.

Biodiversity Database: More Options | Help

My List: View List | Edit List | Clear List