Monticello Gardens

Common name: Gardenia

Family: Rubiaceae (Madder)

Distribution: China, Taiwan, Japan

Hardiness: USDA Zone 8

Life form: Evergreen shrub

Usage: Ornamental

Comments: Native to the tropics and sub-tropics of the Old World, Gardenia jasminoides, was a popular greenhouse plant in the mid-nineteenth century. Carl Linnaeus named the genus Gardenia for Alexander Garden in recognition of his contributions to botany. Thomas Jefferson requested in a letter dated August 9, 1788 to J. Banister, Jr. that "Gardenia" be sent, along with several other plants, to his friend Madame Tessé in Paris, France.