Orange Jasmine

Kauaʻi evidence

Taxonomic identity, tree form, diagnostic morphology and island occurrence use the linked reviewed sources. Historical planting, cultivation, naturalization and invasive status are separate. Generated imagery is not occurrence evidence. The 1918–1959 Kauaʻi reforestation working register records 50 plants under Murraya paniculata across 1 entries dated 1945. These are recorded planting quantities, not counts of surviving trees, and they do not by themselves establish current persistence, naturalization, or ecological impact. Source: Kauaʻi Reforestation Plantings 1918–1959 working register (user-supplied; reconciled 6 October 2026).

Names and classification

Scientific name

Murraya paniculata

Common names

Orange Jasmine · Orange jessamine · Mock orange

Other names

Murraya paniculata · Orange jasmine · Orange jessamine · Mock orange · Murraya exotica

Record type

Species

Kauaʻi occurrence and status

Kauaʻi occurrence

Recorded on Kauaʻi

Origin

Introduced

Conservation status

Not yet assessed

Evidence date

2026-10-06

Evidence limits

Present island-wide abundance, occupied habitat, recruitment, population trend, and ecological effects have not been quantified; no invasive severity is inferred from checklist or forestry status.

Habitat and ecology

Habitats

Not yet assessed

Food and resource needs

Not yet assessed

Reproduction

Fragrant bisexual flowers require pollination and produce red fleshy berries whose seeds can be dispersed by fruit-eating animals. Kauaʻi-specific flowering times, dispersers, and recruitment are unmeasured.

Shelter

Not yet assessed

Growth form

Shrub or small tree

Threats and conservation

Monitoring

Not yet assessed

Data gaps

Current population extent and trajectory · Additional species-specific ecological and conservation sources

Process and seasonal context

Seasonal timing

Not yet assessed

Seasonal description

Orange Jasmine (Murraya paniculata) is an introduced tree documented on Kauaʻi by Bishop Museum’s 2025 checklist and the 2026 Smithsonian checklist. Its checklist classification is naturalized; current extent is unassessed. Native from tropical and subtropical Asia to northern Australia and commonly cultivated. Evergreen foliage, fragrant flowers, and bird-moved fleshy fruits support persistence in warm disturbed vegetation. Bishop Museum and Smithsonian document naturalized Kauaʻi occurrence, and a 2015 government forest-reserve survey independently lists it as naturalized.

Sources and further reading

• https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:774441-1
• https://efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=3&taxon_id=200012464
• https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:774441-1/general-information
• https://hbs.bishopmuseum.org/publications/pdf/tr75.pdf
• https://editedimages.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/Imadaetal.2025Hawaiianvascularplants.xlsx
• https://doi.org/10.5479/si.32124043
• https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/forestry/files/2013/02/2015_NK_management_plan_final.pdf