Discussion

Gardenias

Gardenia is a genus comprised of about 128 species of flowering plants in the coffee family. Various species are native to tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Asia, Madagascar, Pacific Islands, and Australia. The specific species that is this week's painting subject is Gardenia jasminoides, called kuchinashi by the Japanese. It is the type species of the Gardenia genus, the species that is the most representative of the genus, and it is commonly called just gardenia, or sometimes cape jasmine. The latter name is based on an early false belief that it originally came from near the Cape of Good Hope region of South Africa. Gardenias have a strong scent that has been compared to jasmines.

The vast majority of Gardenia species have white blossoms, at least while they are fresh. However, a couple of Gardenia species blossoms are yellow

This photo shows the blossom of the Gardenia type species, Gardenia jasminoides, in its natural, single-blossom form. The number of petals varies from 5 to 8. 

Each blossom has both male and female organs. The object in the center is the female stigma and style. The radial "arms" are pollen-bearing male stamens. Like the number of petals, the number of stamens varies from 5 to 8. In this photo, the number of petals and the number of stamens is the same, but that is a coincidence. The numbers of each can vary. Gardenia jasminoides blossoms and plants can self-pollinate, but cross pollination produces better fruit and seed yields.

The blossoms of most cultivated Gardenia jasminoides plants are double-blossomed. They typically have 12 to 14 petals per blossom, but highly doubled blossoms can have many more.

The sex organs of double-blossomed gardenias are buried inside the mass of petals. The doubling process sometimes converts stamens into petals, resulting in reduced fertility.

White gardenias don't always stay white. They can turn a creamy off white or yellowish color due to environmental stress. The most common reason, however, is aging.

Gardenia jasminoides plants are evergreen perennial shrubs that grow from 3 to 8 feet tall. The plant below appears to be somewhat taller.

Blossoming typically begins in the late spring and continues into the summer. Individual Gardenia jasminoides blossoms last for 3 to 7 days on the plant before fading from white to a creamy yellow or brown. Meanwhile, the plant continues to produce new blossoms for 6 to 8 weeks. Under ideal conditions, some varieties have a second round of blossoming. 

Gardenia jasminoides fruit, often called hips, generally appears in late summer to fall and takes several months to mature.

There can be as many as 600 seeds in a single Gardenia jasminoides fruit. There are compounds in Gardenia jasminoides plants that are mildly toxic to dogs, cats, and horses. It is safe for human consumption, however. Dried Gardenia jasminoides fruit is used with some Asian foods.

It is used for coloring and a flavor ingredient with teas, traditional porridge, rice cakes, sweet pastries, candies, sauces, and preserved foods. It has a bitter, slightly sour, and astringent taste. Traditional Chinese medicine uses the fruit to treat restlessness, jaundice, infections (especially with fever), hypertension, and inflammation. Modern research shows that the plant possesses antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective qualities.

Substances in the interior of Gardenia jasminoides fruit have been used as a yellow food, fabric, and paint dye for thousands of years. In the 1980s, a Japanese scientist discovered that with further processing, a blue dye could also be produced.

Because of its jasmine-like scent, perfumers have attempted to make gardenia perfumes, but traditional methods destroy the delicate flowers, making it impossible to extract natural scent on a commercial scale. Synthetic gardenia perfumes have been made using artificial chemical processes.

Gardenias have cultural significance in various parts of the world. Gardenias in Japan are symbols of summer and purity. The literal meaning of the Japanese word for gardenia, kuchinashi, is "no mouth," derived from the tendency of the fruit to remain closed even when ripe. This has made it a symbol for secret, unspoken emotion.

Gardenia's, especially Gardenia jasminoides, are deservedly prized for their usefulness as well as their beauty.

Artwork

Bonsai

No comment seems necessary for this photo of living art.

Nakayama Sūgakudō

Little is known about Sūgakudō, including when he was born and died. He was an ukiyo-e print artist who specialized mostly in kachō-ga (pictures of birds and flowers) in the late Edo Period (1603 – 1868). He is known to have studied in the Nanga school of art. His most active period was in the 1850s to 1860s. This print titled River Sparrow and Kuchinashi Flowers is probably part of his series of prints titled Exact Reproductions of Forty-Eight Birds.

Unknown

The only thing known about this print is that it was produced sometime in the 1870s.