Murrarya paniculata (Orange Jessamine)

  • TropPlant Accession Number (TPAN): 0152
  • Botanical Name: Murrarya paniculata
  • Common Name: Mock Orange, Jasmine Orange, Chinese Box, Orange Jessamine, Lakeview Jasmine
  • Cultivar: N/A
  • Family: Rutaceae
Murrarya paniculata
Photo by Matthew Gaston




  • Native To: South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Pacific Islands

Landscaping Information

    • Plant Type:  Shrub, Treelet
    • Texture: Fine
    • Form: Upright-broad
    • Height (on average, in landscape use): 2' - 4' (Hedged), 8'-10' (Treelet)
    • Growth Rate: Medium to Fast
    • Landscape Values:  Background, Border, Edging, Facer, Filler, Foundation, Framing, Hedge, Mass, Screen, Space Division, Windbreak
    • Outstanding Quality: Fragrance, Hedgability, Wood
    Murrarya paniculata as a hedge
    Photo by Matthew Gaston

    Murrarya paniculata hedge with bright green new foliage
    Photo by Matthew Gaston

    Botanical Descriptions

    • Flowers:  egg shell to cream, 5-petals, bisexual flowers with 10 stamens. Highly fragrant with a sweet jasmine-citrus blossom smell. When one plant flowers, it seems to signal to nearby orange jessamine plants to flower as well. Flowers arranged in terminal clusters of 2-8.
    Murrarya paniculata flowers
    Photo by Matthew Gaston

    • Fruits: orange to red, half inch long, ovoid berry; contains 1-2 seeds
    • Foliage Color: Young/immature: Light Green. Mature: Bright medium green to dark green. 
    • Leaflet Tip: Acute
    • Leaflet Base: Acute
    • Margins: Smooth to Undulate
    • Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
    • Leaflet Shape:  elliptic to obovate
    • Leaf Type: Odd-Pinnate, Compound, Leaflet #: 3-9
    • Leaf Texture: Glossy, smooth, waxy, glabrous adaxial surface. Abaxial surface is similar, but less waxy and smooth.
    • Leaf Special Notes: Leaves can be on the smaller end with only 3 leaflets (trifoliate) or have a long rachis with up to 9 leaflets. Abundance of leaflets contributes to the fine texture and density when hedged.
    Murrarya paniculata adaxial leaf surface. This leaf has 7 leaflets.
    Photo by Matthew Gaston

    Murrarya paniculata abaxial leaf surface. This leaf has 7 leaflets.
    Photo by Matthew Gaston

    • Bark and Trunk: Brownish-Gray vertically furrowed bark. 
    Murrarya paniculata trunk
    Photo by Matthew Gaston

    Horticultural Information

      • Light Preference: Full Sun. Semi-Sun
      • Light Tolerances: Shade
      • Soil Preferences: Organic, Well-Drained.
      • Tolerances: Smog, Compacted Soil, Salt Air, Saline Soil, Strong Winds, Moderate Winds, Humidity, Regular Watering, Drought
      • Water Requirements: Needs regular watering until established. Once established it is considered semi-drought tolerant.
      • Notes on Maintenance: While most frequently seen as a hedge, it tends to naturally grow into a small tree where only terminal branches bear leaves. Highly fragrant sweet flowers like that of orange blossoms or a citrus-like jasmine. New foliage is prone to spider mites.
      Murrarya paniculata as a street tree in Honolulu, HI.
      Photo by Matthew Gaston

      • Propagation: Seed or cutting, but seed propagation is much easier.
      • Minimum USDA Hardiness Zone: 9
      • Weed Risk Assessment Score (WRA): 6, Evaluate
      Murrarya paniculata flowers
      Photo by Matthew Gaston

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