Gardenia (gardenia)

[NL., named after Dr. Alex. Garden, a vice-president of the Royal Soc., born in Charleston, S. C. (died 1791).] Agenus of rubiaceous (often spiny) trees and shrubs, natives of the Cape of Good Hope and of trop i*cal Asia and Africa. They have large, handsome white or yellowish flowers, which are often deliciously fragrant. There are about 60 species, of which several are frequent in cultivation, especially the Cape jasmine, G. florida, a native of China, and G. radicans. The fruits are largely used in eastern Asia for dyeing yellow. The greenish yellow resin of G. lucid a, known as dikamali, has a peculiar offensive odor, and is used in India as a remedy for dyspepsia. gardenic (gär-den'ik), a. Of or pertaining to the genus Gardenia: as, gardenic acid.