''Gardenia taitensis'', also called Tahitian gardenia or tiaré flower, is a species of

plant Plants are the eukaryotes that form the Kingdom (biology), kingdom Plantae; they are predominantly Photosynthesis, photosynthetic. This means that they obtain their energy from sunlight, using chloroplasts derived from endosymbiosis with c ...

in the family

Rubiaceae Rubiaceae () is a family (biology), family of flowering plants, commonly known as the coffee, madder, or bedstraw family. It consists of terrestrial trees, shrubs, lianas, or herbs that are recognizable by simple, opposite leaves with Petiole ( ...

. It is an

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has Leaf, foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many diffe ...

tropical shrub that grows to tall and has glossy dark green leaves that are long and are oppositely arranged along the stem. The flower is creamy white and pinwheel-shaped with 5–9 lobes, each long and fragrant. Native to the highland shores of the South Pacific, it has the distinction of being one of the few cultivated plants native to

Polynesia Polynesia ( , ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of more than 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are called Polynesians. They have many things in ...

. It is the

national flower In a number of countries, plants have been chosen as symbols to represent specific geographic areas. Some countries have a country-wide floral emblem; others in addition have symbols representing subdivisions. Different processes have been used t ...

French Polynesia French Polynesia ( ; ; ) is an overseas collectivity of France and its sole #Governance, overseas country. It comprises 121 geographically dispersed islands and atolls stretching over more than in the Pacific Ocean, South Pacific Ocean. The t ...

and the

Cook Islands The Cook Islands is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of 15 islands whose total land area is approximately . The Cook Islands' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) covers of ocean. Avarua is its ...

. The name Tahitian gardenia is somewhat a misnomer because it is neither native nor naturalized in

Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian language, Tahitian , ; ) is the largest island of the Windward Islands (Society Islands), Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France. It is located in the central part of t ...

. The first acceptable scientific name for the plant was based on Tahitian specimens collected by

Jules Dumont d'Urville Jules Sébastien César Dumont d'Urville (; 23 May 1790 – 8 May 1842) was a French List of explorers, explorer and French Navy, naval officer who explored the south and western Pacific, Australia, New Zealand and Antarctica. As a botanist an ...

in 1824. Hence the scientific name of ''Gardenia taitensis'', and the English name of Tahitian gardenia or Tiaré flower. It was first collected in Tahiti, by the Forsters on Captain Cook's first Pacific voyage (1768–1771), although it was misidentified as

Gardenia jasminoides ''Gardenia jasminoides'', commonly known as gardenia and cape jasmine, is an evergreen flowering plant in the coffee family Rubiaceae. It is native to the subtropical and northern tropical parts of the Far East. Wild plants range from 30 centime ...

. The plant originates from

Melanesia Melanesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It extends from New Guinea in the west to the Fiji Islands in the east, and includes the Arafura Sea. The region includes the four independent countries of Fiji, Vanu ...

and Western Polynesia. It is an aboriginal introduction to the

and

and possibly Hawai’i.

Common uses

Monoï oil

This oil is used mainly for cosmetic purposes as a hair or skin treatment. In order to obtain the monoi oil (''monoï'', pronounced moh-noh-ee, means "scented oil" in Tahitian), tiare flowers are infused in

coconut oil Coconut oil (or coconut fat) is an edible oil derived from the kernels, meat, and milk of the coconut palm fruit. Coconut oil is a white solid fat below around , and a clear thin liquid oil at higher temperatures. Unrefined varieties have a disti ...

. The maceration must last at least ten days and requires at least ten Tiare flowers per liter of refined oil. This manufacturing process, common to all producers of "monoï de Tahiti", is a method similar to "enfleurage" ''(see enfleurage)'' in perfumery. Tiaré is also used in niche

perfumery Perfume (, ) is a mixture of fragrance, fragrant essential oils or aroma compounds (fragrances), Fixative (perfumery), fixatives and solvents, usually in liquid form, used to give the human body, animals, food, objects, and living-spaces an agre ...

but its prohibitively high cost excludes use in commercial perfumery. Notable examples include ''Tiare'' by Ormonde Jayne launched in 2009, ''Tiare'' by Chantecaille and ''Coucou'' by Frater. The Tiaré flowers are hand picked and then laid unopened in oil for 15 days to obtain the

extract An extract (essence) is a substance made by extracting a part of a raw material, often by using a solvent such as ethanol, oil or water. Extracts may be sold as tinctures or absolutes or dried and powdered. The aromatic principles of ma ...

Flower necklaces

Polynesian people in the

pacific islands The Pacific islands are a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean. They are further categorized into three major island groups: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Depending on the context, the term ''Pacific Islands'' may refer to one of several ...

use the extremely fragrant blooms in their flower necklaces, which are called "Ei" in the

, "Hei" in

or " Lei" in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

. In some Pacific island

traditions A tradition is a system of beliefs or behaviors (folk custom) passed down within a group of people or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common exa ...

, wearing a flower indicates relationship status. A flower worn on the left ear means the person is taken and on the right ear means available.

Herbal medicine

The plant is used in traditional

herbalism Herbal medicine (also called herbalism, phytomedicine or phytotherapy) is the study of pharmacognosy and the use of medicinal plants, which are a basis of traditional medicine. Scientific evidence for the effectiveness of many herbal treatments ...

. For example, in

Tonga Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania. The country has 171 islands, of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in the southern Pacific Ocean. accordin ...

a bark infusion is dripped into the nose, eyes, and mouth to treat " ghost sickness". In

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...

, parts of the plant are used for

inflammation Inflammation (from ) is part of the biological response of body tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants. The five cardinal signs are heat, pain, redness, swelling, and loss of function (Latin ''calor'', '' ...

.Polynesian herbal medicine By W. Arthur Whistler (1992) p. 52, 69, 15
Google Books
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Gallery

File:Starr 070221-4650 Gardenia sp..jpg, File:Starr 080117-1711 Gardenia taitensis.jpg, File:Starr 070221-4645 Gardenia sp..jpg, File:Tiare Tahiti.jpg, File:Starr 070221-4638 Gardenia sp..jpg,

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1245878 taitensis Flora of the Southwestern Pacific Crops originating from the Pacific Tropical flora Medicinal plants of Oceania Austronesian agriculture