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Gardenia gummifera L. f.

Synonym	:	Gardenia arborea Roxb.
Family	:	Rubiaceae
Local name	:	English - Gummy cape jasmine Malayalam - Somanadikayam
Flowering and fruiting period	:	December-May
Distribution	:	Peninsular India
Distribution in Kerala	:	Idukki
Habitat	:	Dry deciduous forests near streams
Endemic/Exotic	:	Peninsular India
Uses	:	It is used as an astringent and expectorant for treating nervous conditions and spasms. It is also used in treating digestive problems including dyspepsia and diarrhoea.
Key Botanical Characters: Small trees, up to 8 m high, bark greyish-brown, smooth; blaze dull yellow; exudation bright yellow resinous; branches and branchlets virgate, young parts pubescent. Leaves simple, opposite, decussate. Flowers bisexual, white turns to yellow, axillary, solitary or in lax cymes; calyx truncate, triangular, puberulous without, acute; corolla cylindrical, puberulous without, obovate, obtuse; stamens 5, 1 cm long; ovary inferior, 1-celled, ovules many; style 2.5 cm; stigma 5 angled, fusiform. Fruit a berry, ellipsoid or oblong; seeds rugose.