Botanical atlas

Crepe Jasmine

Ervatamia coronaria

Crepe jasmine has been a fixture of South and Southeast Asian gardens for centuries, prized above all for the sweet, jasmine-like scent its white pinwheel flowers release in the evening. In parts of India and Southeast Asia, the flowers have long been offered at temples and threaded into garlands, and the shrub itself was traditionally planted near doorways and courtyards as a fragrant, easy-care hedge. Folk traditions in its native range also describe the milky latex and leaves being dabbed carefully onto the skin for minor irritations, though this plant was never a kitchen or tea herb, and its stronger traditional reputation has always been as a beautiful, useful garden plant rather than something to eat or drink.

Safety.

All parts of crepe jasmine, especially its milky white sap, are considered toxic if eaten and can cause vomiting, and the sap can irritate skin and eyes on contact. Keep it away from children and pets, and treat it as a look-but-don't-eat ornamental rather than a medicine.