Jasminum pubescens Willd.

Horticultural & Botanical History

‘The Jasminum hirsutum is a very beautiful shrub, with fragrant flowers.  The degree of pubescence varies very much according to the age; the leaves especially being much more hairy while young than in adult plants.  Our friend, Sir James Edward Smith, first rectified the synonymy of this species; and settled that of Burmann from a specimen of his own; otherwise we should have been inclined to doubt his plant being intended for this species, not only from his describing the leaves as smooth, but also from the length of the tube of the corolla, which he describes as being twice that of the calyx, and his figure represents it as still longer; whereas in our plant it only equals the segments of the calyx.  Vahl refers Burmann’s plant to undulatum a nearly allied species; but this author had doubts of the existence of hirsutum, and in this he was right, if it were to be considered as distinct from pubescens, which he adopted from Retzius; the name of hirsutus however having the right of priority supersedes that of pubescens. 

Native of China and the East-Indies.  Introduced latterly by Dr. Roxburgh, who sent it to Lady Amelia Hume, but is said to have been cultivated by Philip Miller in 1759.’  [BM t.1991/1818].  ABR pl.496/1807.

History at Camden Park

Listed in the 1850 and 1857 catalogues [T.601/1850]. Jasminum hirsutum was included in a consignment of plants sent from Kew by John Bidwill in November 1843 [AJCP].  A possible source.

Notes

Jasminum pubescens Buch.-Ham. ex Wall. (1828-49) = Jasminum sambac Soland.

Jasminum pubescens DC. (1844) = Jasminum pubigerum D.Don

Jasminum pubescens Miq. ex C.B.Clarke (1872) = Jasminum rottlerianum Wall.