Forsythias & Jasmines
What are they?
These woody plants are members of the Olive family (Oleaceae), a family consisting of a great variety of trees and shrubs which are rather variable in their appearance. Most species in the group have opposite leaves and flowers that are either petalless or have showy flowers with four petals that fuse into a tube towards the base. The family includes the Olive, ashes, forsythias, privets and jasmines among others.
Where are they found?
These plants are extremely popular as ornamental shrubs and climbers for their profusion of bright flowers that, in the yellow species, appear in spring, before the leaves open. Forsythias are widely grown in urban areas as well as in churchyards, cemeteries and amenity areas; they are mostly native to eastern Asia, with one species found in Europe, but they have been crossed in cultivation to produce a number of named cultivars. The jasmines that occur in our region come originally from eastern Asia. They are less likely to be found in the wider countryside than forsythias but occasional plants are found as relics of old gardens or in dumped garden waste.
Identification
An easily-recognised group when in flower, but forsythias are otherwise rather nondescript with their simple, toothed leaves carried in opposite pairs. Several forsythias are in cultivation and can be difficult to tell apart but to date, only the hybrid detailed below seems likely to be found in our region. Jasmines are climbing or scrambling plants with trifoliate or pinnate leaves and a variable number of petals to the flowers. Leaf detail and flower colour should be noted for identification.
Common Forsythia Forsythia x intermedia
A chance hybrid that originated in cultivation. Extremely popular as a garden shrub and widely planted in amenity areas, churchyards and other public spaces. May occasionally be found on rough ground or in hedgerows. Flowers late March to early May. Deciduous shrubs, typically to 2-3m in height when free-growing. Stems reddish-brown when young, becoming light brown with age, warty-looking and with pith in the centre between the nodes (helps to rule out some other forsythias). The flowers have calyx lobes that are shorter than the corolla tube.
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Golden-bell Forsythia Forsythia suspensa
Introduced from China as a garden shrub but far less common than the popular hybrid above, though could easily be overlooked. Flowers late March to early May. A deciduous shrub to 3m in height and tending to be more open and rambling than the hybrid. Stems reddish-brown when young, becoming dark, blackish-brown, warty-looking and with hollow spaces in the centre between the nodes. The flowers have calyx lobes that are about the same length as the corolla tube.
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Winter Jasmine Jasminum nudiflorum
Introduced from Asia as a garden ornamental. May occasionally be found where spreading from neighbouring properties or in amenity areas. Flowers November to early March. A deciduous, sprawling shrub, often grown on a fence or against a wall. Stems green with four, angled ridges. Flowers with five to seven petals, appearing in small numbers intermittently during milder winter spells, with a main flowering period in February.
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Summer Jasmine Jasminum officinale
Introduced from Asia as a garden ornamental. May occasionally be found where spreading from neighbouring properties or in amenity areas. Flowers June to October. A deciduous, sprawling or climbing shrub, often grown on a fence or against a wall. Stems green and wiry. Flowers with four to six petals. Leaves pinnate, the leaflets with asymmetrical bases.
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Red Jasmine Jasminum beesianum
Introduced from Asia as a garden ornamental. May occasionally be found where spreading from neighbouring properties or in amenity areas and recorded from Cambridge and in North-east Suffolk. Flowers June to July. A deciduous, sprawling or climbing shrub, often grown on a fence or against a wall. Stems green and wiry. Flowers typically with six petals but regularly varies from five to seven. Leaves simple, in opposite pairs.
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