Jasminum mesnyi (Primrose Jasmine)

Native from south-central China to Vietnam, this evergreen shrub has smooth, four-angled young branches. Opposite leaves usually have three leaflets, although simple leaves may occur near the branch bases. Solitary yellow flowers develop in leaf axils or occasionally at branch tips. Their funnel-shaped corollas have several broad lobes, and cultivated forms often have extra petals. Small oval berries may follow flowering. The species grows in woods and ravines and is cultivated for its bright flowers. It has naturalized in Queensland, Australia, and has received the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit. Photographed in Colombia.