The Madagascar Jasmine or Stephanotis is in fact not a jasmine at all despite its name, although it is a climbing vine that is similar to the true jasmine. Most of us will be familiar with stephanotis as a houseplant which has creamy white flowers like a jasmine but larger. They are also strongly scented and so favored for this reason. I learned this from an article by Jackie Rhoades which I found on the Gardening Know How website.

Stephanotis flowers have long been treasured for their beauty and sweet scent. The tropical twining vine, with its dark shiny foliage and snowy flowers, are a traditional element in wedding bouquets and many of us received our first info on the Stephanotis flower from our florist.

Info on the Stephanotis Flower

When we talk about Stephanotis plant care, we?re talking about Stephanotis floribunda, or Madagascar jasmine, though it is not a member of the jasmine family. It is one of five to 10 species identified within the genus of twining vine-like shrubs and is the most popular among indoor gardeners.

The flowers present as narrow, tubular, waxy horns about 2 inches in length. Each flower has a crown of five lobes and stamens that someone long ago thought looked like tiny ears; hence the name from the Greek stephanos (crown) and otis (ear). The leaves are leathery, oval shaped and opposite, and the plant?s woody tendrils can grow to 20 feet in the wild.

Because it is a tender, tropical perennial, info on the Stephanotis flower is usually directed to indoor care, for Stephanotis is very particular about its mini-climate environment.

Care for Stephanotis

If you live in an area that meets the requirements for Stephanotis plant care ? sufficient rain, high humidity, warm winters ? you can grow this plant outdoors year round, but for most gardeners, these beauties will spend at least part of their year indoors, particularly in winter. Indoor care of Stephanotis can be problematic and they tend to suffer from shock when their environment is radically changed.

 
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Image sources:?Lenore Edman and Forest and Kim Starr