JASMINE

By Pravesh Lal, New Jersey

Note: Pravesh and his wife Shuchismita run a small business, growing plant and flowers familiar to people from South Asian countries - such as Joba (Hibiscus), Beli/Juhi (Jasmine), Korobi (Oleander), and Jhumkolata (Passion-flowers). They supply loose flowers and garlands made from these flowers to local temples and people in the community for various pujas, celebrations, and ceremonies. Pravesh may be contacted at pushpashree.usa@gmail.com)

(Editor’s

The First Jasmines

A poem by Rabindra Nath Tagore

Ah, these jasmines, these white jasmines!

I seem to remember the first day when I filled my hands with these jasmines, these white jasmines.

I have loved the sunlight, the sky and the green earth; I have heard the liquid murmur of the river through the darkness of midnight; Autumn sunsets have come to me at the bend of the road in the lonely waste, like a bride raising her veil to accept her lover. Yet my memory is still sweet with the first white jasmines that I held in my hands when I was a child.

Many a glad day has come in my life, and I have laughed with merrymakers on festival nights. On grey mornings of rain I have crooned many an idle song. I have worn round my neck the evening wreath of Bakulas woven by the hand of love. Yet my heart is sweet with the memory of the first fresh jasmines that filled my hands when I was a child.

I still remember my first encounter with “jasmines.” When I was around 10 years old, I spent my summer holidays visiting my favorite Masi in the village of Kalagargh, in Uttar Pradesh in India. Located near the foothills of Himalayas, my Masi’s home had a beautiful garden. One section of the garden had about thirty Jasmine plants. Every evening, just before sundown, she would send me to collect the jasmine buds. I would fill up a whole bucket with the buds and bring them to the Puja room and cover the bucket with a wet towel. The following morning, my mother, masi and my grandmother would make malas from these jasmine buds. By the time the garlands were ready for the morning puja, the flowers would start to open and fill the whole home with a beautiful fragrance. Just a whiff of fresh jasmine flowers lilacs, and forsythias. Jasmines are native to the tropical and subtropical regions of South and South-East Asia. They have also been cultivated historically in Algeria, Morocco, Egypt, China, and France. Jasmines grow mostly as shrubs or climbing vines and are perennial, evergreen plants with thick green foliage and fragrant flowers. The countries of Indonesia, Philippines, Syria, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan have adopted Jasmine as their national flower.

In the Indian subcontinent, Jasmines have been around and used since the Vedic times. Some of the well-known varieties you may know about are Beli-phul, Chameli, Chandini, Jati, Jui, Kundo, Malligai, Malati, Mallika, Mogra, Motia, Mullai, and Tagar. Most people associate jasmine with white flowers, but there are yellow and pink varieties as well.

Many ancient mythologies have associated the Jasmine flower with deities of love, beauty, purity, and divine blessings. South Asian Indian mythology links the flower to Kamadeva, Greek mythology to Aphrodite and Roman mythology to Venus. Christians associate jasmine with Virgin Mary. In most South Asian, Asian, and Persian cultures, flowers of Jasmine symbolize beauty, purity, good fortune, and love.

Uses of Jasmine

As decorative offerings at Hindu temples, Beli-phul is offered to Sri Ram, Chameli is given to Hanuman ji, Lord Vishnu likes the Kundo flowers, Ma Durga likes Mogra, Dattatreya is offered Jui and Tagar is given to Brahma-ji.

Growing

You can buy Jasmines as a potted plant from your local nursery or Indian grocery stores, or they can also be grown: brings back memories of those summer vacation days and my time with the family.

From Seeds: Soak the seeds in warm water overnight and plant in a starting soil mixture and keep in a warm and moist environment. The seeds may take up to a month to germinate and from here will take another 3-4 months to be ready to flower.

By Layering: In this process, a long and healthy branch of the plant is chosen and gently bent to push its middle part beneath the soil. To make sure it stays in place in the soil, you can use a U-shaped pin or a piece of rock to pin it down. In about two or three weeks, you may see new roots sprout at the point where the stem is buried in the soil. You can separate the new plant by cutting off the branch connecting to the original plant.

By Cuttings: I think this is the most convenient and quick way to produce new plants from existing plants. Cut about 6” of stem from a healthy branch and strip the leaves from the bottom 1/3 of the stem. Insert the bottom end in rooting hormone powder and place in a small planter with damp soil. Covering the pot with a plastic bag to retain moisture and warmth has given me reliable results. Alternatively, I have also used a glass of water, placed in a warm location, to put the cutting. Both these options have allowed my cuttings to begin rooting in a couple of weeks to a month, depending on the time of the year.

Jasmines in the USA

In the US, we can buy boxes of loose or strung jasmine flowers imported from India. Air travel has made it possible for these jasmines to be harvested, packed, and shipped here within a span of a week. However, there is no substitute for garden fresh jasmines from your own potted jasmine plant.

Have you considered adding Jasmine to your garden? Many South Asians are attracted to this sweet smelling, fast-growing plant and buy them for their homes. I remember visiting a family in NJ, where a giant 30-yearold jasmine bush occupied a corner of their living room!

Types

Did you know there are over 200 distinct types of Jasmines? True Jasmines belong to the family of plants called Oleaceae (or Olive family). Other members of the family include olives,

Jasmine flowers, either by themselves or along with other flowers, are used to make garlands, headgears, and floral jewelry that are worn by people in various cultural events like weddings, annaprasan, dance and music recitals, and in various festivals. In many cultures, women wear the small jasmine garlands called “Gajras” in their hair daily, or on special occasions.

Apart from the decorative and religious use of Jasmine flowers, commercially they are used for making many beauty and health products. Perfume industry is by far the biggest user of jasmine flowers. Jasmine oil is one of the most widely used scents in the perfume industry and is also one of the most expensive components as well. Around 8000 flowers are processed to obtain one ml of perfume oil and is sold for hundreds of dollars per ounce.

Jasmine flowers are brewed to make infusions, tinctures, and compresses for Herbal and Ayurvedic formulations to be used as aphrodisiacs, sedatives, antiseptic, antidepressant, antispasmodic, and analgesics. Candles, soaps, massage oils and incense sticks made with jasmine oil are an essential component of Aromatherapy to improve mood, help alleviate stress and insomnia.

Caring

All jasmines prefer full sun to partial shade and thrive in the warm weather. However, you need to protect them from the harsh afternoon sun. They grow well in regular, welldrained garden soil with moderate levels of soil fertility and moisture. Very few varieties of Jasmines do well in cold zones so you will need to bring the jasmine plant inside your home for the winter.

Jasmines do well in containers/ pots as well. When outdoors, during the summer, I water once a day, keeping the soil slightly moist, but not soggy. If you are going to grow jasmine as a houseplant place it near a south facing window or a partly sunny spot to encourage growth. Fertilize Jasmine twice a year with a balanced granular fertilizer (i.e., equal ratios of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium [NPK]) However, during spring and summer, you can also feed the jasmines a liquid fertilizer that has high Potassium(K) and Phosphorus(P) ratios, every two weeks to encourage the flowering cycle.

Early spring is the time to repot and prune the jasmine plant. If the plant has overgrown the pot or you start seeing the roots, prune out the continue to page 10 }