Confederate Jasmine

I wonder if it is permissible to use the botanical name for a plant occasionally. It would help to know if you all are talkin' about Gelsemium smpervirens or Traachelospermum jasminoides.

The first one has a nasty reputation for being toxic and I wouldn't plant it anywhere!
El Viejo

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Permalink Reply by Polly McDaniel on July 20, 2008 at 11:32am

I often get confused as to whether Yellow Jessamine and Confederate Jasmine are one in the same plant. Can anyone offer correct information on this?
But in answer to botanical names vs. common names, El Viejo, I think it can be instructive to use both, hand in hand. Serious gardeners will want the botanical names. Beginner gardeners will just be confused by them. When trying to acquire a specific variety (more correctly known as cultivar), the botanical name is a must.

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Permalink Reply by Michael Coyle on July 25, 2008 at 11:30am

They are not the same plant. The Yellow Jessamine is the Gelsemium, the Confederate Jasmine is the Trachelospermum. Totally different look, and the Yellow Jessamine is much more hardy. The Yellow Jessamine is rather toxic, but a great utilitarian plant for winter color.