| Jasminum fluminense | ||
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| This is a species that is widely encountered in the USA in part due to the fact that it is native to part of South and Central America and parts of the Caribbean including Jamaica where it has been reported to have naturalised. Its march forward was documented in the early 1960s as having reached the Florida Keys but from my investigations it appears not to be a problem now and is certainly not invasive. It is sold by several specialists in the US nursery trade under a variety of names especially Jasminum azoricum. It is available from one or two nurseries in Europe. This species is an attractive scrambling climber with leaves of the usual blunt trifoliate arrangement and of varying degrees of hairiness. In the subspecies J.fluminense var holstii the leaves are felty and the flowers are borne from tight densely hairy leaf bracts. Cultivation is easy as are most Jasminums but good light seems essential for continuous summer flowering. I have seen at least four different collections all of different quality and exhibiting different characteristics such as small variations in petal numbers and the size of flower but the scent on all collections was good light ‘jasmine’ scent and as such this species is long overdue to introduction to milder gardens. Regarding hardiness I suspect that cold wet periods down to 0c maybe endured but frost that goes below -2c will result in damage and as such in N Europe and the NE USA this species should be grown under glass/conservatory. One very large plant that I based this on growing outside in S Europe has only ever been exposed to -1c |