Appearance

Growth form

A woody, evergreen climbing vine, usually up to about 10 ft (3 m). It twines around supports and puts out aerial roots on damp surfaces. Cut stems ooze milky sap.

Leaves

Opposite, glossy, dark green, oval to lance-shaped leaves about 1½–3 in (4–8 cm) long that often turn bronze in winter.

Flowers

Fragrant white flowers about ¾–1 in (2–2.5 cm) across, with five petal-like lobes, in loose clusters from spring into early summer.

Look-alikes

Where it lives

Typical habitats

• Gardens
• Fences and trellises
• Groundcover plantings

Range

Native to Japan, Korea, southern China, and Vietnam. In the U.S. it's a common landscape plant in California and the Southeast, and it sometimes escapes into the wild there (reported in Alabama and Florida). In Florida it isn't considered a problem plant in natural areas.

Preferred conditions

Grows in sun to full shade in well-drained soil. Hardy in USDA zones 8–10.

Growing it

Care

Used on trellises, pergolas, and fences, as a groundcover, or in pots. Trim after flowering to keep it in bounds.

Propagation

Usually propagated from cuttings or by layering stems.

Toxicity

It's considered non-toxic to dogs, cats, and horses.

Name and classification

Varieties and forms

'Variegatum' has leaves edged and splashed with creamy white, often tinged pink, and grows less vigorously than the plain green form.

Conservation

IUCN Red List

NENot Evaluated·Not yet assessed

Culture and stories

Culture and stories

• The name 'Confederate jasmine' likely comes from how often it's planted in the American South.
• Its flowers yield a fragrant oil used in fine perfumes, and in China, Vietnam, and Thailand they're used in incense.