Side by side
Mexican orange blossom or Japanese skimmia? How to tell them apart
Choisya ternata · Skimmia japonica
How to tell them apart – Mexican orange blossom: rounded evergreen shrub with glossy, three-part leaves that smell spicy when crushed, and fragrant white flowers in spring; Japanese skimmia: simple leaves in rosettes and red buds in winter.
How do you recognise them?
- Mexican orange blossom
- Rounded evergreen shrub with glossy, three-part leaves that smell spicy when crushed, and fragrant white flowers in spring.
- Japanese skimmia
- Low evergreen shrub with aromatic leaves at the shoot tips and red flower buds in winter.
- Compared with Mexican orange blossom: simple leaves in rosettes and red buds in winter.
| Mexican orange blossom | Japanese skimmia | |
|---|---|---|
| Leaves | Opposite, trifoliate: three untoothed, glossy, elongated leaflets (3–8 cm) on one stalk; with translucent oil glands, strongly aromatic when crushed. | Alternate, in rosettes at the shoot tips, 5–10 cm, untoothed; aromatic when crushed. |
| Flowering | 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). | Red or pink buds all winter; small, fragrant white flowers in March–April (March–May). |
| Fruit | Rare in our climate: small, dry fruits that split into segments. | Red berries on female plants (with a male plant nearby); poisonous. |
| Bark | Green, later greyish-brown twigs. | Greenish to grey. |
| Shape and height | Shrub, 1.5–2.5 m | Shrub, 0.5–1.5 m |
| Site | Sun or partial shade, any garden soil, normal | Partial shade or shade, acid 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 | Yes, take care with children and pets |
| Pruning months | May–June | April–May |
What does it mean for your garden?
- Japanese skimmia is poisonous to people and pets: take care with children and animals.
Read on
- Plant profile: Mexican orange blossom
- Plant profile: Japanese skimmia
- Mexican orange blossom: when and how to prune
- Japanese skimmia: when and how to prune
- Identification key
Also looks like
- Mock orange or Mexican orange blossom
- Cherry laurel or Japanese skimmia
- Japanese pieris or Japanese skimmia
Identify by feature
This comparison is compiled from the Bladwijzer species pages.