Jasminum sambac (L.) Aiton, Oleaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Threat only at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

Chamorro: sampagita

Chuukese: ulo

English: Arabian jasmine, Indian jasmine, jasmine

French: jasmin d'Arabie

Hawaiian: pikake, pīkake

I-Kiribati: te bitati

Maori (Cook Islands): pitate, pītate papa‘ā

Marquesan: pitate

Nauruan: rimone

Samoan: pua Samoa, pua sosola, pua sosolo

Spanish: jazmín de Arabia

Tahitian: pitate, pitate maohi

Tuvaluan: pitasi

Habit:  vine

Description:  "Scandent or suberect shrub; branchlets pubescent.  Leaves opposite or in whorls of three, entire, elliptic or broad elliptic to sub-orbicular, obtuse or acute, very variable in size, up to 9 cm long and 6 cm broad, glabrous, shining above; nerves prominent beneath; petiole short, pubescent.  Flowers fragrant, in few-flowered terminal cymes, pedicels up to 6 mm; bracts linear, up to 6 mm long.  Calyx teeth 5-9, c. 1 cm long, V-shaped, pubescent.  Corolla white, simple or double, tube 1 cm long, lobes 5-9, oblong, acute or obtuse, or orbicular under cultivation, 1.5 cm long. Berry simple or didymous, globose, 6 mm in diameter, black when ripe, surrounded by the suberect subulate calyx teeth" (Grohmann, 1974; pp. 20-22).

"Pubescent climbers with angular branchlets, simple elliptic to ovate leaves up to 10 cm long, acute or obtuse, base rounded or cuneate, nearly glabrous, with evident veins; petiole pubescent, short, arched; flowers fragrant; calyx-lobes linear, c. 6-7 mm long, ciliate or glabrous; corolla white, often doubled, the lobes oblong to nearly orbicular, obtuse, as long as the tube" (Stone, 1970; p. 472).

Habitat/ecology:  0-600 m in its native habitat; widely cultivated (Grohmann, Grohmann, 1974; pp. 20-22).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Bengal to Ceylon and Burma (Grohmann, Grohmann, 1974; pp. 20-22).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
American Samoa Tutuila Islands	Tutuila Island		Swarbrick, John T. (1997) (p. 93)
American Samoa Tutuila Islands	Tutuila Island		Anon. (1988) (p. 2)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	‘Atiu Island	cultivated	McCormack, Gerald (2007)
Federated States of Micronesia Chuuk Islands	Puluwat (Pwonowót) Atoll	introduced cultivated	Manner, H. I./Mallon, E. (1989) (p. 55) Voucher cited: Manner & Mallon 222 (GUAM)
Federated States of Micronesia Kosrae Island	Kosrae Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 209)
Federated States of Micronesia Kosrae Island	Kosrae Island	introduced cultivated	Lorence, David H./Flynn, Tim (2005) (p. 19)
Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Islands	Nukuoro Atoll	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 209)
Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Islands	Pohnpei Island		Lorence, David H./Flynn, Tim (1998) (p. 26)
French Polynesia Society Islands	Raiatea (Havai) Island	introduced cultivated	Grant, Martin Lawrence;Fosberg, F. Raymond/Smith, Howard M. (1974) (p. 30) Voucher cited: Moore 290 (BISH, MIN)
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced cultivated	Grant, Martin Lawrence;Fosberg, F. Raymond/Smith, Howard M. (1974) (p. 30) Voucher cited: Grant 4510 (BISH, MIN)
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced cultivated	Stone, Benjamin C. (1970) (p. 472)
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 209)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawaiian Islands	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 990)
Kiribati Tungaru (Gilbert) Islands	Tarawa Atoll	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 209) Probably cultivated. Presence not confirmed.
Marshall Islands Ralik Chain	Jaluit (Jãlwõj) Atoll	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 209)
Marshall Islands Ralik Chain	Kwajalein (Kuwajleen) Atoll	introduced cultivated	Whistler, W. A./Steele, O. (1999) (p. 102)
Marshall Islands Ratak Chain	Majuro (Mãjro) Atoll	introduced cultivated	Vander Velde, Nancy (2003) (p. 113)
Nauru Nauru Island	Nauru Island	introduced cultivated	Thaman, R. R./Fosberg, F. R./Manner, H. I./Hassall, D. C. (1994) (pp. 177-178) Vouchers cited: Fosberg 58719 (US), Thaman & Manner 18 (SUVA)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 108) Vouchers cited: Grunow s.n. (W), MacKee 27863, MacKee 30196
Niue Niue	Niue Island	introduced cultivated	Sykes, W. R. (1970) (p. 142) Voucher cited: CHR 168658
Niue Niue	Niue Island	introduced cultivated	Yuncker, T. G. (1943) (p. 95) Voucher cited: Yuncker 9942 (BISH)
Niue Niue	Niue Island	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara M./Newfield, Melanie/Bull, Cate (2004) (p. 43)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Koror Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 209)

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia (Indian Ocean offshore islands) Christmas Island Group	Christmas Island	introduced	Swarbrick, J. T. (1997) (p. 117)

Additional information:  Additional online information about Jasminum sambac is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Taxonomic information about Jasminum sambac may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Anon. 1988. Weed list for American Samoa by cropping system. Checklist dated 07/13/88, origin unknown. 3 pp.

Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce. 1979. A geographical checklist of the Micronesian dicotyledonae. Micronesica 15:1-295.

Grant, Martin Lawrence;Fosberg, F. Raymond/Smith, Howard M. 1974. Partial flora of the Society Islands: Ericaceae to Apocynaceae. Smithsonian Contributions to Botany 17. 85 pp.

Grohmann, Fritz. 1974. Oleaceae. In: Nasir, E. and S. I. Ali, eds. Flora of West Pakistan, no. 59.

Lorence, David H./Flynn, Tim. 1998. Checklist of the plants of Pohnpei. Unpublished checklist. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Hawai‘i. 21 pp.

Lorence, David H./Flynn, Tim. 2005. Checklist of the plants of Kosrae. Unpublished checklist. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Hawai‘i. 23 pp.

MacKee, H. S. 1994. Catalogue des plantes introduites et cultivées en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, 164 p.

Manner, H. I./Mallon, E. 1989. An Annotated list of the vascular plants of Pulawat Atoll. Micronesica 22:23-63.

McCormack, Gerald. 2007. Cook Islands biodiversity and natural heritage. On-line database.

Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara M./Newfield, Melanie/Bull, Cate. 2004. Report to the Government of Niue and the United Nations Development Programme: Invasive plant species on Niue following Cyclone Heta. UNDP NIU/98/G31 - Niue Enabling Activity. 80 pp.

Stone, Benjamin C. 1970. The flora of Guam. Micronesica 6:1-659.

Swarbrick, J. T. 1997. Environmental weeds and exotic plants on Christmas Island, Indian Ocean: a report to Parks Australia. 101 pp. plus appendix.

Swarbrick, John T. 1997. Weeds of the Pacific Islands. Technical paper no. 209. South Pacific Commission, Noumea, New Caledonia. 124 pp.

Sykes, W. R. 1970. Contributions to the flora of Niue. New Zealand Department of Scientific and Industrial Research Bulletin 200, Wellington. 321 pp.

Thaman, R. R. 1987. Plants of Kiribati: a listing and analysis of vernacular names. Atoll Res. Bull. 296:1-42.

Thaman, R. R./Fosberg, F. R./Manner, H. I./Hassall, D. C. 1994. The flora of Nauru. Smithsonian Institution, Washington. Atoll Research Bulletin 392:1-223.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2007. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Vander Velde, Nancy. 2003. The vascular plants of Majuro Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands. Smithsonian Institution, Atoll Research Bulletin No. 503:1-141.

Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. 1999. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawaii. Revised edition. Bernice P. Bishop Museum special publication. University of Hawai‘i Press/Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 1919 pp. (two volumes).

Welsh, S. L. 1998. Flora Societensis: A summary revision of the flowering plants of the Society Islands. E.P.S. Inc., Orem, Utah. 420 pp.

Whistler, W. A. 1990. Ethnobotany of the Cook Islands: The plants, their Maori names, and their uses. Allertonia 5(4):347-424.

Whistler, W. A./Steele, O. 1999. Botanical survey of the United States of America Kwajalein Atoll (USAKA) Islands. Prepared for Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education and the U. S. Army Environmental Center. 111 pp.

Yuncker, T. G. 1943. The flora of Niue Island. Bishop Mus. Bull. 178. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 126 pp.

Yuncker, T. G. 1945. Plants of the Manua Islands. Bishop Mus. Bull. 184. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 73 pp.