General Information :

• Coral jasmine is a large shrub or small tree with spreading branches, growing up to 10 metres tall
• The flowers are fragrant, with a five- to eight-lobed white corolla with an orange-red centre.
• The fruit is a flat brown heart-shaped to round capsule 2 cm, with two sections each containing a single seed.
• The bark contains a glycoside and alkaloids, suspected of being poisonous to animals and humans.

Distribution :

• Indigenous (native to India).

Habitat : Along the sides of rivers and in swampy areas at elevations below 500 metres

Soil : Soil - fertile and having good drainage

Altitude :1500 m

Rainfall :It grows well in avarage rainfall area

Temperature : 12 - 18 °C

Terrain : Plain/hilly

Tree Characteristics :

• The plant tolerates moderate shade.

Habit : Deciduous tree

Natural Regeneration :

• Naturally regenerated by seeds.

Artificial Regeneration :

• Artificial reproduction is common by Nursery raised seedlings.

Seed collection and Storage :

• Flowering and fruiting: March-May.
• Pods are then dried in the sun and broken to extract the seeds and  stored in gunny bags.

Seed Treatment :

• Hot water treatment in 24 hours.

Nursery Technique :

• Seeds can be sown in semi-shade, either in nursery beds or in individual containers. When fresh seed is used, a germination rate in excess of 80% usually occurs within 8 - 15 days.
• Seedlings should be placed in individual containers by the time they are 6 - 10cm tall, and are ready to plant out when 7 months old.

Plantation technique :

• Dig pits of 30 cm3.
• Fill up the pits with top soil mixed with 10 Kg of FYM and 1 Kg of Neem cake per pit.
• The seedlings are generally planted in pits having the size of 30x30x30 cm. The most common spacing adopted for plantation is 5m x 5m. On road sides, deeper pits of the size of 45 x 45 x 45 cm are preferred.

Care & Disease Control :

• In early stages weeding is necessary. In second year, soil working is important.

Major uses :

• A saffron-yellow dye obtained from the flowers is used for colouring food.
• The bitter leaves are useful as a cholagogue, laxative, diaphoretic and diuretic. An extract is given to children for the expulsion of roundworms and threadworms
• The bright orange corolla tubes of the flowers contain a saffron-yellow colouring matter, which was formerly used for dyeing silk.
• The bark may be used as a tanning material.
• The brown wood is moderately hard, fairly heavy and close-grained. It is sometimes used for boarding.
• The wood is sometimes used as firewood.
• Coral jasmine is sometimes planted in hedges.