How many varieties of gardenia are there in total, and what is the difference between gardenia and shuihengzhi?

"Gardenia blooms and blooms, gardenia blooms and blooms, it is faint youth, pure love" - I believe many people have heard this song, and it vividly tells the whole flower language of the gardenia: it represents eternal love, a lifetime of waiting, and other symbols, and it can be considered the dream flower of many people. However, there is a plant called shuihengzhi, and many people are unable to distinguish it from the gardenia. Let us learn about it together below.

In fact, there is essentially no difference between gardenia and shuihengzhi; they refer to the same plant, only called differently in local dialects. Shuihengzhi is a Cantonese alternative name, also called huangzhizi or shanzhi, and is mostly used for artistic bonsai. Artistic bonsai does not mean placing the flower horizontally in water, but rather cutting any section of the gardenia tree, soaking it in water or soil, and waiting for it to gradually grow branches and leaves to make an ornamental bonsai.

So, besides shuihengzhi, what other names does gardenia have? Gardenia is also called huangzhizi, jinzhizi, yinzhizi, shanzhihua, linlan, mudan, yuetao, muhengzhi, yuhehua, and so on. Its flowering period is generally from April to May each year. When it is not flowering, its leaves remain evergreen all year round. It is native to Asia and is cultivated in most parts of the country.

What varieties of gardenia are there in total? Taking the varieties currently sold in the flower market as examples, there are large-leaf gardenia, huangzhizi, and shuizhizi. Among them, large-leaf gardenia is a variety with particularly large leaves, suitable for planting in southern regions, and the soil needs to use an acidic medium for care. As for huangzhizi, it is a wild variety of gardenia. Its leaves are half the size of those of large-leaf gardenia, its petals are single-layered, and it produces orange fruit in autumn. It is an ornamental plant with vigorous vitality. Shuizhizi, also called querhe gardenia, can grow up to 2 m tall. Its soil requirements are very simple; as long as there is a planting medium, it can grow.

In addition, besides being used indoors as decoration, gardenia flowers can also be extracted into essence, and its fruit can be used for dyes and traditional Chinese medicine. In summary, gardenia and shuihengzhi are the same thing with different names, and the latter specifically refers to gardenia plants used for bonsai creation.