Winter Jasmine Jasminum nudiflorum
Other Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- JAs-mi-num nu-di-FLO-rum
- Description
-
Winter jasmine is a medium-sized, fountain-like, deciduous shrub that grows up to 4 feet tall. If it is grown as a vine, it will reach a height of 10 to 15 feet tall and 3 to 6 feet wide. It has long arching branches and willowy stems. In January or February, bright yellow tubular or funnel-shaped blooms appear before the leaves have emerged. They are typically the first flowers to bloom in the landscape. The shrub makes a dense green mound during the summer. This plant roots easily where arching branches touch the soil. The leaves are opposite and have trifoliate leaflets. The stems are square and green. If fruits occur, they are two-lobed blackberries.
This plant is native to Southeastern Tibet to Central China. In China, this plant is often called "Yingchun" which means "flower that welcomes spring".
The genus name, Jasminum, is a Latin name for the Persian name yasmin or yasamin. The specific epithet, nudiflorum, means the flowers emerge before the leaves.
Winter Jasmine prefers full sun to partial shade. It will grow in heavy shade, but the flowers will be reduced. It prefers well-drained soils, but it is adaptable to a variety of soil types and does well in poor soils. The cane-like, rapid growth creates colonies that look messy if unpruned. It can be rejuvenated by severe pruning after flowering.
Consider the Winter Jasmine for mass plantings as a ground cover for slopes or banks. It may be used on a terrace or stone walls as a trailing vine. Training the vine to grow on a trellis, pergolas, or support structure will add interest to the late winter landscape.
Seasons of Interest:
Bloom: Late Winter and Early Spring Foliage: Late Spring and Summer
Quick ID Hints:
- sprawling, arching shrub or trailing, cascading vine
- bark is green initially then after the first year turns gray to reddish-brown, thin, scaly
- stems are green, quadrangular
- buds are pointed, 1/8 inch long, and red and green
- shiny dark green leaves opposite, trifoliate, leaflets ovate to oblong
- blooms are bright yellow, non-fragrant, funnel-shaped with 6 petals, 1-inch in diameter, bloom January to February
- rarely produces fruit in cultivation; however, if seen presents as a two-lobed blackberry,
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: The Winter Jasmine has no serious insect or disease problems. Monitor for Japanese beetles, mealy bugs, and aphids.
VIDEO created by Andy Pulte for “Landscape Plant Identification, Taxonomy, and Morphology” a plant identification course offered by the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee.
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- 'Aurem'
Leaves are blotched with yellow
- 'Aurem'
- 'Aurem'
- Tags:
















- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- 'Aurem'
Leaves are blotched with yellow
- 'Aurem'
- 'Aurem'
- Tags:
-
-
Attributes:
- Genus:
- Jasminum
- Species:
- nudiflorum
- Family:
- Oleaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Woody
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- South East Tibet to Central China
- Distribution:
- Native: China North-Central, China South-Central, and Tibet. Introduced; Bulgaria, France, Korea, and the United States--AL
- Play Value:
- Colorful
- Dimensions:
- Height: 10 ft. 0 in. - 15 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 3 ft. 0 in. - 6 ft. 0 in.
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-
Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Ground Cover
- Shrub
- Vine
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Broad
- Cascading
- Spreading
- Weeping
- Growth Rate:
- Rapid
- Maintenance:
- Low
- Texture:
- Fine
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-
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:
- Clay
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Alkaline (>8.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Available Space To Plant:
- 6-feet-12 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Black
- Fruit Type:
- Berry
- Fruit Length:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- The fruit is rarely produced in cultivation. If seen, it will appear as a two-lobed blackberry.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Cyme
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Winter
- Flower Shape:
- Funnel
- Tubular
- Flower Petals:
- 6 petals/rays
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- Flowers are bright yellow, non-fragrant, funnel to tubular-shaped, 6-petaled, 1 to 2 inches long, and 1 inch across. Inflorescence is axillary cymes. Blooming in late winter or early spring from January to February.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Glossy
- Deciduous Leaf Fall Color:
- Insignificant
- Leaf Type:
- Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Opposite
- Leaf Shape:
- Oblong
- Ovate
- Leaf Margin:
- Entire
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- < 1 inch
- Leaf Width:
- < 1 inch
- Leaf Description:
- The leaves are shiny green, opposite, and trifoliate. Leaflets are ovate to oblong-ovate and 0.5 to 1 inch long. The leaves emerge after the flowers have bloomed.
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Dark Brown
- Green
- Red/Burgundy
- Surface/Attachment:
- Scaly
- Bark Description:
- The bark is initially green. After the first year, the bark turns gray to reddish-brown, thin, and scaly.
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-
Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Green
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Cross Section:
- Angular
- Stem Surface:
- Smooth (glabrous)
- Stem Description:
- The stems are green, quadrangular, glabrous, slender, and arching. The buds are pointed, 1/8 inch long, red and green.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Coastal
- Naturalized Area
- Recreational Play Area
- Rock Wall
- Slope/Bank
- Landscape Theme:
- Children's Garden
- Winter Garden
- Design Feature:
- Mass Planting
- Specimen
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Deer
- Diseases
- Drought
- Heavy Shade
- Insect Pests