''Stephanotis floribunda'' syn. ''S. jasminoides'', the Madagascar jasmine, waxflower, Hawaiian wedding flower, or bridal wreath is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Apocynaceae,

native Native may refer to: People * '' Jus sanguinis'', nationality by blood * '' Jus soli'', nationality by location of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Nat ...

to Madagascar. It is a twining, sparsely branched

liana A liana is a long-Plant stem, stemmed Woody plant, woody vine that is rooted in the soil at ground level and uses trees, as well as other means of vertical support, to climb up to the Canopy (biology), canopy in search of direct sunlight. T ...

that can measure up to 6 m in length. Despite its common name, the species is not a "true jasmine" and not of the genus

Jasminum Jasmine (botanical name: ''Jasminum'', pronounced ) is a genus of shrubs and vines in the olive family of Oleaceae. It contains around 200 species native to tropical and warm temperate regions of Eurasia, Africa, and Oceania. Jasmines are wide ...

Description

Growing to or more, 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 ...

woody climber with oval leaves and clusters of pure white, waxy, intensely fragrant tubular flowers. The leather-like leaves are up to about 5 × 9 cm in size; they are glossy dark green. The flowers are waxy, star-shaped and highly scented, about 3 cm long, in

clusters may refer to: Science and technology Astronomy * Cluster (spacecraft), constellation of four European Space Agency spacecraft * Cluster II (spacecraft), a European Space Agency mission to study the magnetosphere * Asteroid cluster, a small ...

and are produced in summer. This vine flowers only on new growth, and thus pruning should be kept to a minimum, especially during the growth season. Flowers fade to yellow after several days and the deep, rich fragrance turns sour in smell. The flowers are in axillary

umbels UMBEL (Upper Mapping and Binding Exchange Layer) is a logically organized knowledge graph of 34,000 concepts and entity types that can be used in information science for relating information from disparate sources to one another. It was retired ...

. The flowering period is from spring to fall. The wreath loop forms large plum-like fruits, which, however, rarely set in specimens cultivated as indoor plants. The ovoid-shaped fruits contain numerous seeds with pappus.

Cultivation

Madagascar's climate, with its moderate temperatures, high humidity and seasonal cycles of hot, wet summers and cool, dry winters provides the optimal growing conditions for Stephanotis. Grown commercially, the trumpet-shaped blooms are in season year-round, provided they are given enough light and water, and are a popular component of bridal bouquets. It grows best in sunny, tropical conditions, or inside. In areas where the outside winter temperature drops below , ''Stephanotis floribunda'' can be wintered over in

greenhouse A greenhouse is a structure that is designed to regulate the temperature and humidity of the environment inside. There are different types of greenhouses, but they all have large areas covered with transparent materials that let sunlight pass an ...

or household settings. During the summer growth season, this vine requires full sun, abundant water, high humidity and a balanced

fertilizer A fertilizer or fertiliser is any material of natural or synthetic origin that is applied to soil or to plant tissues to supply plant nutrients. Fertilizers may be distinct from liming materials or other non-nutrient soil amendments. Man ...

. As temperatures begin to cool, pots should be brought indoors and placed in the sunniest location available. ''Stephanotis floribunda'' appears to do best if root bound. The soil mixture used should have a high content of

loam Loam (in geology and soil science) is soil composed mostly of sand (particle size > ), silt (particle size > ), and a smaller amount of clay (particle size < ). By weight, its mineral composition is about 40–40–20% concentration of sand–si ...

and

peat moss ''Sphagnum'' is a genus of approximately 380 accepted species of mosses, commonly known as sphagnum moss, also bog moss and quacker moss (although that term is also sometimes used for peat). Accumulations of ''Sphagnum'' can store water, since ...

with generous drainage material such as

perlite Perlite is an amorphous volcanic glass that has a relatively high water content, typically formed by the Hydrate, hydration of obsidian. It occurs naturally and has the unusual property of greatly expanding when heated sufficiently. It is an indu ...

or coarse sand. Although Stephanotis do not technically go dormant, their growth is slowed and flowering is infrequent if kept in a cool, dry condition. This plant has gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. It includes the full range of cultivated p ...

. Propagation is by

cutting Cutting is the separation or opening of a physical object, into two or more portions, through the application of an acutely directed force. Implements commonly used for wikt:cut, cutting are the knife and saw, or in medicine and science the sca ...

s or by the

seed In botany, a seed is a plant structure containing an embryo and stored nutrients in a protective coat called a ''testa''. More generally, the term "seed" means anything that can be Sowing, sown, which may include seed and husk or tuber. Seeds ...

s, which are produced irregularly.

Gallery

File:Stephanotis Seed Pod.JPG, seed pod Image:Bride with stephanotis bouquet.jpg, A bride with a ''Stephanotis'' bouquet File:StephanotisPod.jpg, Stephanotis floribunda dry pod - seeds with 'parachutes' are still in File:StephanotisSeed.jpg, Stephanotis floribunda seed with 'parachute' File:Stephanotis floribunda 2.jpg, Flower closeup File:Stephanotis floribunda variegata 31.JPG, Variegated variety File:Starr-090720-3118-Marsdenia floribunda-habit on fence with fruit-Wailuku-Maui (24876945281).jpg, Trailing on fence File:Starr-090526-8510-Marsdenia floribunda-flowering habit on fence-DLNR nursery Kahului-Maui (24956851555).jpg, Climbing a fence File:Stephanotis Floribunda - panoramio.jpg, Flower cluster

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q1786657, from2=Q10475339 Asclepiadoideae Endemic flora of Madagascar House plants