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Brilliant Gardenia
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Brilliant Gardenia
ative Photo: Dinesh Valke
Common name: Brilliant Gardenia, cambi resin tree, white emetic nut • Hindi: देकामाली dekamali • Marathi: डिकामाली dikamali, डिकेमाली dikemali • Tamil: கம்பளிப்பிசின் kampali-p-picin, கும்பை kumpai, கும்பிலி kumpili, திக்காமல்லி tikkamalli • Malayalam: കബിമരം kabimaram • Telugu: కొండ మంగ konda manga • Kannada: ಬಿಕ್ಕಿ ಗಿಡ bikki gida, ಡಿಕ್ಕಾಮಲ್ಲಿ, ದಿಕ್ಕಾಮಲ್ಲಿ dikkaamalli, ದಿಕಾಮಲಿ Dikaamali, ಕಲ್ಲರಿಗೆ Kallarige, ಕುಂಬೆ Kumbe • Konkani: डिकमाली dikmali • Gujarati: દિકામારી dikamari • Sanskrit: नाडिहिङ्गु nadihingu
Botanical name: Gardenia resinifera    Family: Rubiaceae (Coffee family)
Synonyms: Gardenia lucida

Brilliant Gardenia is a small, unarmed tree, up to 3 m tall. It exudes gum from the buds. Leaves have very short stalks. They are oblong or oval or obovate, obtuse or with a short blunt point, hairless, hard, shining, with simple parallel nerves. White fragrant flowers occur singly in leaf axils. They have a long tube, glabrous, striated, flaring into 5 obovate-oblong petals, a little shorter than the tube. Drupe is oblong, nut very hard, thick and bony. Flowering: March-April.

Identification credit: Dinesh Valke Photographed in cultivation in Mumbai & Bangalore.

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