Side by side
Common jasmine or winter jasmine? How to tell them apart
Jasminum officinale · Jasminum nudiflorum
How to tell them apart – common jasmine: white, strongly scented flowers in summer and pinnate leaves; winter jasmine: shrub with long, green, arching twigs and small yellow flowers on the bare wood in the middle of winter.
How do you recognise them?
- Common jasmine
- Twining climber with pinnate leaves and white, star-shaped, intensely fragrant flowers in summer.
- Compared with winter jasmine: white, strongly scented flowers in summer and pinnate leaves.
- Winter jasmine
- Shrub with long, green, arching twigs and small yellow flowers on the bare wood in the middle of winter.
| Common jasmine | Winter jasmine | |
|---|---|---|
| Leaves | Opposite, pinnate with 5–9 pointed leaflets of 1–6 cm; partly evergreen in mild winters. | Opposite, trifoliate with 3 small (1–3 cm), untoothed, dark green leaflets. |
| Flowering | White flowers (2 cm) with a long tube and 4–5 lobes, in loose clusters, June–September; strongly scented, especially in the evening (June–August). | Bright yellow flowers (2–3 cm) with 5–6 lobes, single in the leaf axils on the bare twigs, November–March; unscented (December–March). |
| Fruit | Small black berries; rare here. | Rarely sets fruit here. |
| Bark | Green, angular, twining twigs that become woody at the base. | Green, square twigs that stay green in winter; they root where they touch the ground. |
| Shape and height | Climber, twines to 4–6 m | Climber, 2–3 m against a wall |
| Site | Full sun, any garden soil, normal | Sun to shade, any garden soil, normal |
| Native to Belgium | No, planted | No, planted |
| Good for bees, butterflies and birds | – | – |
| Poisonous to people and pets | Not known to be poisonous | Not known to be poisonous |
| Pruning months | March and September | March–April |
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: Common jasmine
- Plant profile: Winter jasmine
- Common jasmine: when and how to prune
- Winter jasmine: when and how to prune
- Identification key
Also looks like
This comparison is compiled from the Bladwijzer species pages.