Gardenia

Gardenia

　　　　Product Name: Gardenia

　　　　Place of Origin: Cangnan, Wenzhou

　　　　Product Features: Clears heat, purges fire, cools blood

　　　　Product Introduction: Gardenia is a traditional Chinese medicinal herb. Its bitter and cold fruit is used to clear heat, purge fire, and cool blood. It contains yellow pigment that can be extracted as a natural colorant for use as a food additive.

　　　　Product History: Cangnan County has over 3,000 acres of gardenia bases, including 2,000 acres of contiguous planting bases, with an annual output of more than 150 tons of dried gardenia fruit.

　　Gardenia, an evergreen shrub, grows 1–2 meters tall with opposite, long elliptic leaves. The flowers are terminal, six-petaled, about 5–6 cm in diameter, with slightly reflexed lobes that are white when first blooming and gradually turn yellow, emitting a fragrant aroma. The flowering period is from late spring to summer. Flowering occurs from May to June, fruiting from July to November, with fruits ripening in November. The fruit is oblong-ovoid, with six ribs and six persistent sepals, turning from yellow to orange-red when ripe, and can be used as a dye or in medicine. Suitable for garden planting or large potted plants.

　　[Distribution]

　　Originally native to provinces south of the Yangtze River in China, mainly produced in Jiangxi, particularly Fuzhou.

　　[Ecological Habits]

　　An evergreen shrub or small tree. Gardenia can grow up to 2 meters tall, with much-branched stems and a round-shaped crown. The flowers are large, white, and fragrant, borne singly at the branch tips or leaf axils. The corolla opens into a saucer shape. The fruit is obovate, turning orange-yellow when ripe, with mostly bright yellow seeds. It thrives in warm, moist climates but is also cold-resistant, drought-tolerant, fertilizer-tolerant, and pruning-tolerant. It prefers sunlight and grows well in fertile, moist, well-drained acidic soils, disliking waterlogged or saline-alkali conditions. Fruiting begins 2–3 years after planting, with peak production reached in 6–7 years. The productive lifespan of the fruit is generally around 25 years.