Family: Oleaceae
Jasminum sambac (pikake, arabian jasmine) is a broadleaf evergreen shrub native to Bhutan and India. It is known as the national flower of the Philippines. It is known for its sweet scent, and its oil is used for aromatherapy and soaps. The fresh flowers are used for perfumes and tea. Studies have shown methanol extracts of the plant to have antimicrobial properties, and it has many different uses in traditional medicine. In Hawaiʻi, this plant is grown commercially to make lei. There are no reports of naturalization or invasiveness in the Hawaiian Islands, with a long history of cultivation.
High Risk Traits:
- Grows, and could potentially spread, in regions with tropical climates
- Reported to be naturalized in a number of locations (but no evidence in the Hawaiian Islands to date)
- Reported to be invasive in a number of locations, but the evidence in some instances is erroneous, and could not be verified in others
- Other Jasminum species have become invasive
- Tolerates many soil types
- Climbing and potentially smothering growth habit
- Reproduces by seeds elsewhere (but rarely fruits in the Hawaiian Islands and other locations outside native range)
- Seeds, if produced, may be dispersed by birds, and intentionally cultivated by people
- Tolerates, and resprouts, after repeated, heavy pruning
Low Risk Traits:
- No reports of naturalization or invasiveness in the Hawaiian Islands, with a long history of cultivation
- Unarmed (no spines, thorns, or burrs)
- Palatable to browsing animals
- Rarely fruits or sets seeds in Hawaiian Islands and elsewhere
- Lack of fruit and seed production limits ability to spread or escape from cultivation
