Family: Rubiaceae

Gardenia volkensii (bushveld gardenia, Transvaal gardenia) is a shrub/small deciduous tree native to tropical and southern Africa. This plant has many traditional medicinal uses in Africa and has been found to have antimicrobial properties. It is a hard wood used for carvings, and folklore says that the tree is said to protect against lightning and evil spirits. This plant has not been documented as naturalized in any Hawaiian Islands to date.

High Risk Traits:

• Elevation range exceeds 1000 m at lower tropical latitudes. demonstrating potential environmental versatility
  
• Thrives in tropical climates
  
• Tolerates many soil types
  
• May form dense stands in native range
  
• Seeds dispersed by mammals and intentionally by people
  
• Seeds able to be stored for extended periods; May form a persistent seed bank or remain viable in fruits that persist on the tree for an extended period

Low Risk Traits:

• No reports of invasiveness or naturalization (with the possible exception of Doon Valley, India)
  
• Unarmed (no spines, thorns or burrs)
  
• Palatable to browsing animals
  
• Ornamental
  
• Not reported to spread vegetatively
  
• Slow-growing, and reaches maturity in 4+ years
  
• Relatively large, indehiscent fruit remain attached to the parent tree for an extended length of time, limiting the potential for inadvertent dispersal