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Mock orange and jasmine are two prominent flowering garden shrubs widely used by many ornamental gardeners. Inexperienced flower growers often confuse these two plants. However, if you look, these shrubs have much more differences than similarities. The difference between mock orange and jasmine is not only in the name. This will be discussed in more detail below.
What is the difference between jasmine and mock orange
The similarity of these two ornamental plants is that their flowers are often the same white color and emit a similar sweet-floral fragrance. This was the reason that many gardeners consider mock orange a kind of garden variety of jasmine. However, this opinion is deeply erroneous.
The flowers of these two shrubs are really similar, but only at first glance. And far from all varieties of mock orange are distinguished by a pronounced floral sweet aroma, characteristic of all varieties of jasmine.
The difference between jasmine and mock orange is also that the wood of the second shrub is much harder. Previously, it was used to make smoking pipes – chibouks, from which the modern name of this plant originated. The jasmine stem is much more flexible and soft, it becomes woody only with age, and rather slowly.
According to the description
To understand the main differences between jasmine and mock orange, it is enough to study their biological description. Comparative characteristics of these two biological species and their main differences are shown in the table below:
Characterization | Chubushnik | Jasmin |
shrub type | Deciduous | Evergreen |
family | hydrangeas | Olive |
Number of species | About 200 | About 60 |
Stem | Upright | Upright, climbing or creeping |
Height of an adult bush | Depending on the variety, from 1 to 4 m | 2-3 m |
Leaves | Green, simple, ovoid, oval or elongated, with short petioles | Green, simple, trifoliate or pinnate, with short petioles |
Bark | Gray, in shoots older than 1 year brown, flaking | Green |
Flowers | Large, simple, semi-double or double, white, cream or yellowish, collected in racemes of 3-9 pieces. | Large, regular, white, yellow or pink, with a narrow tubular corolla, collected in corymbose inflorescences |
fragrance | Depending on the species, some have no smell at all. Fragrance does not depend on the time of day | Strong, with pronounced sweet tones. Appears after sunset |
By flowering
Mock orange blooms in June-July, the average duration of flowering is about 3 weeks. In jasmine, the time of appearance of flowers depends on its variety. The flowering period of most species of this plant begins in the period from March to July and ends in late September and early October. In addition, there is an unflowered (winter) jasmine that blooms at the end of January and finishes flowering at the end of April.
By area of growth
Jasmine (pictured below) is a bright representative of the tropical and subtropical belt, it is found in both hemispheres of the Earth. It is widely distributed in South and Southwest Asia, the countries of the Middle East. In Our Country, in a wild form, this plant is found only in the Caucasus and Crimea.
Unlike jasmine, the mock orange shrub has a different habitat; it grows in Europe, East Asia, and North America. The natural distribution areas of these two shrubs differ significantly, almost without intersecting with each other.
Is there any similarity between mock orange and jasmine
The reason mock orange is sometimes called garden jasmine or false jasmine is because of the delicate fragrance of the flowers of some of its species. It really is very reminiscent of the scent of jasmine flowers. In addition, there is an external similarity between the flowering bushes of both plants, especially if you look at them at a short distance. Both representatives of ornamental gardening are a wonderful decoration of the garden, but they still have more differences than similarities.
How to distinguish jasmine from mock orange
When choosing planting material, you need to be very careful, since confusion with names exists even in specialized flower shops and nurseries. Be sure to clarify the Latin name of the seedling, the name Philadélphus will clearly indicate that it is a mock orange seedling, even if it is called in the store, for example, garden, northern or false jasmine. The present one has the Latin name Jasmínum.
The flowering bushes of these two ornamental plants are most easily distinguished by the structure of the flower. The jasmine flower has a characteristic tubular corolla from which two stamens grow. Mock orange flowers have a different shape. They are a goblet cup, consisting of 4, sometimes 5-6 petals. Inside there are about 20-25, and in large-flowered varieties – up to 90 stamens. The photo below shows the difference between jasmine and mock orange flowers.
In the first photo, a jasmine flower, in the second – mock orange, all the differences are very clearly visible.
Unlike real jasmine, garden jasmine, or mock orange, is much more winter-hardy. This is due to the fact that its natural habitat is located much to the north. During winter, the tips of its shoots often freeze slightly, but the plant recovers quite quickly. In many regions of Our Country, it can grow year-round in open ground, while jasmine can only be used as an ampelous plant or planted in closed areas with artificial climate control.
An interesting video about the intricacies of growing mock orange in Our Country:
Conclusion
The difference between mock orange and jasmine is really very serious, the plants belong to different families and require different care. However, both shrubs are a great way to decorate a backyard. However, if mock orange can be grown in open ground in many regions, then a much more heat-loving jasmine is only suitable for indoor greenhouses, summer gardens and other structures with a controlled microclimate.