Native to southern Asia and Madagascar, Stephanotis, with its aromatic, waxy, star shaped, tubular white flowers (that bloom brilliantly in summer), is a shrub that makes a beautiful but difficult plant to grow.

Stephanotis may require a trellis and a good pruning every so often as they are a climbing plant and their leathery, elliptic-leaved vines can reach quite far, quite quickly. This plant does not do well in direct sunlight and hates sudden change in temperatures and are very attractive to scale and mealy bugs.

This flower, according to The Language of Flowers, denotes ‘marital happiness’ or a ‘desire to travel’. The latter perhaps because of its exploring, far reaching vines and the former may be, that like with marriage, the toil of it brings pleasure if well taken care of. But I wouldn’t really know.

Besides the beautiful fragrant flowers, you might get a surprise seed pod in the shape of a mango and about the same size, that should be allowed to dry before being planted.

Steph`a*no"tis (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. fit for a crown, fr. crown.]

1. Bot.

A genus of climbing asclepiadaceous shrubs, of Madagascar, Malaya, etc. They have fleshy or coriaceous opposite leaves, and large white waxy flowers in cymes.

2.

A perfume said to be prepared from the flowers of Stephanotis floribunda.

 

© Webster 1913.

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