Orange Jessamine

Appearance

Orange Jessamine is a small, tropical, evergreen tree or shrub growing up to 7 m tall. The plant flowers throughout the year. Its leaves are glabrous and glossy, occurring in 3-7 oddly pinnate leaflets which are elliptic to cuneate-obovate to rhombic. Flowers are terminal, corymbose, few-flowered, dense and fragrant. Petals are 12–18 mm long, recurved and white . The fruit of ''Murraya paniculata'' is fleshy, oblong-ovoid, coloured red to orange, and grows up to 1 inch in length.

Naming

Taxonomical synonyms for ''M. paniculata'' are:
⤷  ''Chalcas exotica'' Millsp
⤷  ''Chalcas paniculata'' L.
⤷  ''Murraya exotica'' L.

Some of the common names include

Orange Jessamine, Chinese box, "mock orange", Mock lime, Satinwood
,
or Lakeview Jasmine

⤷  Burmese: ယုဇန [jṵ zana̰]
⤷  Bengali: কামিনী
⤷  Hindi: Kamini
⤷  Indonesian: Kemuning
⤷  Kannada: Kadu karibevu
⤷  Lao: ແກ້ວ [kɛ̂ːw]
⤷  Malay: Kemuning
⤷  Malayalam: Maramulla
⤷  Manipuri: Kamini kusum
⤷  Marathi: Kunti
⤷  Mandarin Chinese: 月橘
⤷  Malaysian Fujian Chinese : 七里香[Chit Li Heong meaning "fragant can be smell seven li ]
⤷  Tagalog: Kamuning
⤷  Telugu: Nagagolungu
⤷  Tamil: Kattu Kariyilai or Vengarai
⤷  Thai: แก้ว [kɛ̂ːw]
⤷  Vietnamese: Nguyệt quế.

Uses

Traditionally, ''Murraya paniculata'' is used both in traditional medicine as an analgesic and for wood .

In the West, ''Murraya paniculata'' is cultured as an ornamental tree or hedge because of its hardiness, wide range of soil tolerance , and is suitable for larger hedges. The plant flowers throughout the years and produces small, fragrant flower clusters which attract bees, while the fruits attract small frugivorous birds.

Honey Bee farms have been known to plant Orange Jasmine near bee hives. Serving not only as food for the bees but as protection from harsh winds. Honey collected from bee hive colonies that collect pollen from orange jasmines, have a tangy sweet orange undertone. Alternatives for outdoor growth in colder climates would be a Gardenia bush.The crude ethanolic extract of leaves of ''Murraya paniculata'' has antidiarrhoeal, antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities.