Gelsemium sempervirens
Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- gel-SEM-ee-um sem-per-VEE-renz
- This plant has high severity poison characteristics.
- See below
- Description
-
Born in the South, Carolina jessamine is a terrific native vine for Carolina landscapes– it's even the state flower of South Carolina. Admired for its sweetly scented, canary-yellow flowers, this vine really puts on a show from February to May, depending on the weather. The golden, funnel or trumpet-shaped blooms are 1½ inches long and seen in small clusters, with narrow, glossy evergreen foliage. The foliage bronzes in winter.
Carolina jessamine is tolerant of wind, short periods of drought, and is moderately salt and wet soil tolerant. Carolina jasmine is winter hardy to USDA Zones 7-10 where it is best grown in moist, organically rich, well-drained soils in full sun and acid to slightly alkaline pH. It will tolerate light shade, but best flowering and growth occur in full sun. Plants will grow as a twining vine or, if unsupported, as a bushy ground cover.
Carolina jessamine can be trained to arbors and trellises and is often found in wooded areas and thickets growing up tree trunks. The jessamine has a modest growth rate until well-established; it generally takes three to four growing seasons for the vines to cover an average-sized arbor. It is well suited for growing in vertical spaces like trellises, arbors, fences, planters, porch columns, and screens.
This landscape plant will become 20 feet or taller when allowed to grow untrained. Occasionally, older jessamine vines become top-heavy or sparse. This can be remedied by pruning the vines soon after they finish flowering. It can become weedy in disturbed areas and along roadsides.
Fire Risk: This plant has an extreme flammability rating and should not be planted within the defensible space of your home. Select plants with a low flammability rating for the sites nearest your home.
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No serious pest/disease problems.
Quick ID Hints:
- Thin, wiry, evergreen vine that climbs by twining
- Leaves are shiny green, opposite and lanceolate
- Persistent fruit is a flattened, dehiscent capsule
- Flowers are golden yellow, funnelform, axillary
Carolina jessamine can be confused with honeysuckle vines which have different flowers and broader leaves with a lower length-to-width ratio. As a seedling, it may be confused with Vinca minor which has shorter, obtuse leaves, violaceous flowers, and non-climbing stems. Euonymous fortunei is also similar but has toothed leaves.
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscapes:
- Paul J Ciener Botanical Garden
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- 'Flava'
- 'Margarita'
- 'Pride of Augusta'
double flowers
- 'Flava'
- 'Flava', 'Margarita', 'Pride of Augusta'
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- 'Flava'
- 'Margarita'
- 'Pride of Augusta'
double flowers
- 'Flava'
- 'Flava', 'Margarita', 'Pride of Augusta'
- Tags:
-
-
Attributes:
- Genus:
- Gelsemium
- Species:
- sempervirens
- Family:
- Loganiaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Woody
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- SE. U.S.A. to Honduras
- Fire Risk Rating:
- extreme flammability
- Wildlife Value:
- Areas of dense growth provide extreme weather and winter cover. Its flowers are attractive to hummingbirds, butterflies, and other pollinators.
- Play Value:
- Wildlife Food Source
- Climbing Method:
- Twining
- Dimensions:
- Height: 10 ft. 0 in. - 20 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 20 ft. 0 in. - 30 ft. 0 in.
-
-
Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Ground Cover
- Native Plant
- Poisonous
- Vine
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Broadleaf Evergreen
- Semi-evergreen
- Habit/Form:
- Creeping
- Spreading
- Growth Rate:
- Medium
- Maintenance:
- Low
- Texture:
- Medium
-
-
Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- High Organic Matter
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Alkaline (>8.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Occasional Flooding
- Occasionally Dry
- Available Space To Plant:
- 6-feet-12 feet
- 12-24 feet
- 24-60 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 6a, 6b, 7b, 7a, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10b, 10a
-
-
Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Green
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Fruit Type:
- Capsule
- Fruit Length:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- Thin, flattened capsule fruit. A dry, green to brown, laterally compressed or flattened capsule, dehiscent, persistent, up to 1" long. Splits open to appear as four lobes. Displays from September to November.
-
-
Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Cyme
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Fragrant
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Fall
- Spring
- Flower Shape:
- Funnel
- Trumpet
- Flower Petals:
- 4-5 petals/rays
- fused petals
- Flower Size:
- 1-3 inches
- Flower Description:
- Bright, fragrant, funnel-shaped, yellow flowers (to 1.5” long) that appear either solitary or in clusters (cymes) in late winter to early spring (February-May depending on location), sometimes blooming again in the fall. Its flowers often serve as a demonstrative signal that winter is coming to an end. in axillary dichasia/cymes, or flower solitary. Bright yellow, fragrant, commonly 1-3, zygomorphic; sepals obtuse, shedding before fruit; corolla funnelform with 5 short, overlapping lobes, orange within, to 1" long x 1" broad.
-
-
Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Broadleaf Evergreen
- Semi-evergreen
- Leaf Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Green
- Purple/Lavender
- Red/Burgundy
- Leaf Feel:
- Glossy
- Leaf Value To Gardener:
- Long-lasting
- Deciduous Leaf Fall Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Purple/Lavender
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Opposite
- Leaf Shape:
- Cuneate
- Lanceolate
- Oblong
- Leaf Margin:
- Entire
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Width:
- < 1 inch
- Leaf Description:
- Shiny, lanceolate, light green leaves (to 1-3” long) which are evergreen but may develop yellow to purple hues in winter. The plants are semi-evergreen toward the northern limits of their growing range. Opposite, simple, oblong to oblong-lanceolate, acute to acuminate, broad cueate, entire, dark green, glabrous, glossy, to 2" long.
-
-
Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Green
- Red/Burgundy
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Description:
- Greenish brown to red-brown, glabrous, thin and wiry, twining; leaves and inflorescences typically borne on dwarf shoots to short pins.
-
-
Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Naturalized Area
- Vertical Spaces
- Woodland
- Landscape Theme:
- Butterfly Garden
- Native Garden
- Pollinator Garden
- Winter Garden
- Design Feature:
- Screen/Privacy
- Specimen
- Attracts:
- Bees
- Butterflies
- Hummingbirds
- Pollinators
- Small Mammals
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Deer
- Salt
- Problems:
- Poisonous to Humans
- Problem for Children
- Weedy
