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Water Jasmine - Wrightia religiosa |
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| Common Name: |
Water Jasmine, Wild Water Plum |
| Scientific Name: |
Wrightia religiosa |
| Hardiness Zone: |
Zone 9B through 11 |
| Family: |
Apocynaceae |
General Information
Wrightia religiosa is a shrub or small tree growing to at most 10’ with the almost horizontal lateral branches creating an attractive layered appearance. In SE Asia water jasmine is frequently found in the vicinity of Buddhist temples, and the same is true of another but much larger tree.
Basic Care
| Bark Characteristics: |
Smooth gray bark. |
| Leaf/Foliage Characteristics: |
Two leaves at a node, one on the opposite side of the stem from the other. Leaves supported by stalks. |
| Growth Characteristics |
Very fast growing in its native tropical setting. |
| Flower/Fruit Characteristics: |
Becoming deciduous during winter, water jasmine leafs out in spring at which time the branches are festooned with masses of pendant, tiny white flowers (resemble snowdrops familiar to northern gardeners). The fragance can be somewhat overpowering in enclosed spaces. |
| Lighting: |
Full sun. |
| Watering: |
When using well draining soil, water frequently. With poor draining soil, monitor watering, Water Jasmine do not like wet feet, so change the soil to avoid root rot. |
| Feeding: |
The tree likes to fed, use a well balanced fertilizer; underfeeding will cause leaves to turn yellow. |
| Pruning/Wiring: |
The tree can be pruned heavily, the tree will bud back; if flowers are of primary concern, hold off trimming until after the tree blooms. The bloom forms at the end of new growth. |
| Propagation: |
From seed, branch and root cuttings. |
| Potting: |
Repot during the summer when nighttime temperatures average above 50 F. Wrightia grow roots very quickly, so repotting may be done every year. Roots may be trimmed heavily. |
| Pests: |
None of concern. The use of Sevin insecticides will cause leaf drop. |
| Diseases: |
A large number of root rots are caused by members of the water mould genus Phytophthora. Perhaps the most aggressive is Phytophthora cinnamomi. Spores from root rot do contaminate other plants, but the rot cannot take hold unless there is adequate moisture. Spores are not only airborne, but are also carried by insects and other arthropods in the soil. |
| Bibliography: |
A word or two about gardening (Adding day time fragrance to your Miami-Dade landscape.) http://miami-dade.ifas.ufl.edu |
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