Side by side
Mock orange or Mexican orange blossom? How to tell them apart
Philadelphus coronarius · Choisya ternata
How to tell them apart – mock orange: deciduous, with simple, toothed leaves; Mexican orange blossom: rounded evergreen shrub with glossy, three-part leaves that smell spicy when crushed, and fragrant white flowers in spring.
Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Rainer Bielefeld assumed (based on copyright claims)., Public domain · source
Mock orange Philadelphus coronarius
How do you recognise them?
- Mock orange
- Shrub with opposite, toothed leaves and white flowers in June with a heady orange-blossom scent.
- Compared with Mexican orange blossom: deciduous, with simple, toothed leaves.
- Mexican orange blossom
- Rounded evergreen shrub with glossy, three-part leaves that smell spicy when crushed, and fragrant white flowers in spring.
| Mock orange | Mexican orange blossom | |
|---|---|---|
| Leaves | Opposite, 4–8 cm, oval with a pointed tip, finely toothed, with 3–5 veins running from the base to the tip. | Opposite, trifoliate: three untoothed, glossy, elongated leaflets (3–8 cm) on one stalk; with translucent oil glands, strongly aromatic when crushed. |
| Flowering | Creamy white flowers (3 cm) with four petals and yellow stamens, in June; double forms too (June). | White, star-shaped flowers (about 3 cm) in clusters at the shoot tips in April–May, often a second flush in late summer; scented like orange blossom (April–May). |
| Fruit | Small brown capsules. | Rare in our climate: small, dry fruits that split into segments. |
| Bark | Brown twigs; older stems with peeling bark. | Green, later greyish-brown twigs. |
| Shape and height | Shrub, 2–3 m | Shrub, 1.5–2.5 m |
| Site | Sun or partial shade, any garden soil, normal | Sun or partial shade, any garden soil, normal |
| Native to Belgium | No, planted | No, planted |
| Good for bees, butterflies and birds | Yes, for bees | – |
| Poisonous to people and pets | Not known to be poisonous | Not known to be poisonous |
| Pruning months | July | May–June |
What does it mean for your garden?
- Choose what suits your soil, your light and the space you have: see the growing conditions in the table.
Read on
- Plant profile: Mock orange
- Plant profile: Mexican orange blossom
- Mock orange: when and how to prune
- Mexican orange blossom: when and how to prune
- Identification key
Also looks like
This comparison is compiled from the Bladwijzer species pages.