Common name: Beach gardenia, Sea randia. Tamil name: Panner pushpam
Beach gardenia is a shrub which is native to the coastal Pacific islands and Australia. Although it is known to grow to 10 meters locally in our regions it grows to around 2 meters in height. The simple leafs are arranged in an opposite manner and leaf margin is entire. The leaf shape is highly variable, some are obovate and some others ovate. The base is acute or sub cordate, the leaf tip may be rounded or acute. The leafs have a soft pubescent fell on both sides. The on the upper surface of the leaf the portions over the leaf nerves appear white. On the underside of the leaf seven lateral pair nerves and the main mid nerve extrude out of the leaf lamella. The leaf stalk measure around 2.1 cm, the leaf length measure around 12.2 cm and the leaf across measure around 8.5 cm. The inflorescence is mostly a terminal branched cyme. The calyx is tubular with segments fused. The pinwheel shaped flowers are bisexual, actinomorphic, tubular and white. The flower consists of around 8-9 petals. The flower tube measure around 2.1 cm and the flower across measure around 2 cm. The anthers stay within the flower tube, the green round stigma is positioned just above the flower tube.The flowers are fragrant and seen in close clusters. The fruit is in the form of a drupe.
