Native Plants

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Monday - May 29, 2006

From: Ocala, FL
Region: Southeast
Topic: Non-Natives
Title: Height of non-native gardenias
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

How tall does a gardenia tree get?

ANSWER:

I assume you mean the Common gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides). It is a native of China and Japan introduced to North America as an ornamental. Its maximum height is 5-6 feet. It has a dwarf cultivar that reaches only 2-3 feet. There are also African Gardenia trees such as Gardenia thunbergia that reaches 16 feet and Gardenia volkensii, 26 feet. Hawaii has an endangered Gardenia (Gardenia brighamii), 20 feet, as well as several other species of Gardenia. In fact, there are some 250 species of Gardenia from Africa, Asia, Australasia and Oceania. There are no North American native Gardenias.