Confederate Jasmine

Common name: Confederate jasmine, Star jasmine
Botanical name: Trachelospermum jasminoides Family: Apocynaceae (oleander family)
This beautiful and energetic evergreen vine creates a special scene all through the year as clambers 40 ft up tree trunks using its holdfast roots to pull itself almost to the top. During April and May the plant goes two-tone as it flushes light green with new growth. Shortly thereafter the scene transforms again when the delicate 1 in white pinwheel flowers delicately breathe enchanting fragrances into the spring air. Confederate jasmine grows as a neat tangle of slender wiry stems that exude white latex when cut. These are covered with thick glossy evergreen leaves that are 2 in long, oval shaped, and pointed at both ends. The stems will twine and clamber over supports and cling to walls and hard surfaces with great ease and abandon. It should be noted that Confederate jasmine is not a "true" jasmine. Confederate jasmine comes from China, but has been a popular garden plant in Europe and the U.S. for centuries.