Scientific Name : Murraya paniculata (L.) Jack
Common Name : Orange-jessamine
Chinese Name : 九里香, 千里香, 月橘
Family : RUTACEAE
Local distribution status : Exotic species
| Origins | Taiwan and provinces of South China, e.g. Hainan and Guangdong. |
|---|---|
| Ecology | The tree serves as an essential food source and nest to butterflies such as Papilio polytes (Common Mormon). |
| Application |
The whole plant is esculent and valued for versatile medicinal functions. First, the leaves are effective to treat gastralgia and stagnant abdominal pain; it is one of the primary ingredients of ‘39胃泰’, a pervasive stomach medicine in China. Moreover, essential oils extracted from the leaves and fruits shows anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. Apart from medicinal uses, the flowers can be processed into flowering tea. The leaves are commonly used in Malaysian cuisines. By virtue of its fragrant blossoms and excellent resilience to pruning and bending, the tree is always shaped into hedges and topiary plants for parks and streets. |
| Meanings of name | The specific epithet paniculata belongs to its paniculate inflorescences. The Chinese name ‘九里香’ exaggerates the delightful fragrance of its blossoms that can still smell from miles far. Notably, the tree is commonly named as ‘千里香’ in China and ‘月橘’ in Taiwan. |
| Growing habit | Shrub to small evergreen tree. |
|---|---|
| Height | To 12 m. |
| Stem | Bark greyish brown, turning glossy to rough when old, annual branches green. |
| Leaves | Alternated leaves, leaflets 3-5 (-7) alternate. Adaxially leathery, ovate-lanceolate to obovate-elliptic, base cuneate, sometimes oblique, apex long acuminate to obtuse, glossy. |
| Flowers | Panicles or cymes, terminal or axillary. Petals 5, oblanceolate or narrowly elliptic, white, slightly reflexed when full blooming. |
| Fruits | Narrowly ellipsoid, rarely ovoid, turning orange to vermilion when mature, pericarp with glandular dots. |
| Flowering period | April to August in Hong Kong. |
| Fruiting period | September to December in Hong Kong. |
Scientific name above is based on Hong Kong Herbarium website :
https://www.herbarium.gov.hk/en/hk-plant-database/plant-detail/index.html?pType=species&oID=7325
Scientific names from other databases
― Flora of China : Murraya paniculata (Linnaeus) Jack
― Plants of the World Online : Murraya paniculata (L.) Jack