Jasmine Varieties: 14 Different Types of Jasmine

Jasmine is known for its delicate flowers and beautiful scent. You may think of small white flowers and a particular floral smell when you think of jasmine. However, some types of jasmine have yellow or pink flowers, and some do not have a scent at all.

While most varieties come from the Jasminium genus, other plants are referred to as jasmine, but they may be from other genera. For example, star jasmine is in the Trachelospermum genus, and the Chrysojasminum genus has many members known as jasmine.

This variety of jasmine operates like a vine. You might also know this flower by the name “shining jasmine.” It is often used as a groundcover or as a complement to shrubs. In some cases, you can even grow this plant in the shape of a shrub. Keep an eye on this plant to prevent it from growing too out of control.

Choose this plant if you want big white flowers with an intoxicating scent. While the scent is as strong as other jasmine plants, it has some other differences that make it stand out. The blooms from this plant have thin narrow petals and round centers.

Arabian Jasmine    

Scientific Name: Jasminum sambac

• Plant Type: Evergreen vine
• Geographic Origin: India and Southeast Asia
• Plant Size: 10 ft
• Sun Exposure: Full to partial sun
• Plant Zone: 9-11

While the delicate and tiny flowers on other varieties are gorgeous, Arabian Jasmine stands out for its many-petaled blooms and big round leaves. This flower is also the plant behind jasmine tea. These white blooms usually appear several times throughout the year. As they age, the petals change from pure white to a slight pink.

This plant is primarily a shrub, but you can also train it as a vine. Pick how you wish to use this plant and train it accordingly. Fun fact: the Arabian Jasmine is the national plant of the Philippines.

Common Jasmine  

Scientific Name: Jasminum officinale

• Plant Type: Deciduous or semi-evergreen
• Geographic Origin: Asia
• Plant Size: 20-30 ft
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
• Plant Zone: 7-10

While this variety is indeed common, that does not mean that it is not still a great addition to any garden. Common Jasmine is known for its ability to fill any garden with its delightful scent and hulking size. The scent comes from the delicate white flower clusters.

If you are growing this plant in a pot, you may want to bring it inside in the winter and leave it outside in the summer. This is because this plant cannot withstand cool temperatures. However, it is still more cold-hardy than other varieties that can only do well in the warmest zones.

While this plant is pretty tough, it can easily be pruned without harming the plant. If you want it to, this plant will spread and fill up any area you need.

Downey Jasmine    

Scientific Name: Jasminum pubescens

• Plant Type: Evergreen
• Geographic Origin: Asia
• Plant Size: 8-12 ft
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
• Plant Zone: 9-11

Whether you want a shrub or a vine, you can train this plant accordingly. Downey Jasmine can climb quite high when trained correctly. These plants are fast growers. So, if you want to avoid pruning, you should keep that in mind.

This plant gets its name from the flowers that cover it. These flowers are small and made up of thin, tapered petals. When this plant is in full bloom, it is very beautiful. However, you should know that this plant does not produce much of a scent.

Dwarf Jasmine

Scientific Name: Chrysojasminum parkeri

• Plant Type: Deciduous
• Geographic Origin: Southeast Asia
• Plant Size: 12 in
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
• Plant Zone: 6-10

Dwarf Jasmine is also known as Himalayan Jasmine and Parker Jasmine. This plant produces small, yellow flowers close to the ground. While this plant does not grow very high, it can spread a few feet. Even with that spread, this variety stays relatively contained.

Even though the flowers only bloom in the summer, the evergreen leaves provide gorgeous foliage all year. The yellow flowers are trumpet-shaped. Even though the blooms do not have a strong scent, people still enjoy these plants for their use in flower arrangements. The leaves are very tiny and ovular. 

Forest Jasmine       

Scientific Name: Jasminium abyssinicum

• Plant Type: Evergreen
• Geographic Origin: Africa
• Plant Size: 16-18 ft
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
• Plant Zone: 8-11

While some jasmine varieties have small and delicate vines, this plant has thicker vines. These vines can be very prolific, and they always grow toward the sun. It also has thick, glossy dark leaves and white flowers with a bit of pink.

Forest Jasmine is not too finicky when it comes to how much sun it gets. It can also withstand a range of types of soil. Grow this shrub in soil, whether it is loamy or full of clay. These plants grow rapidly, which means you should be conscientious before you plant.

Italian Jasmine        

Scientific Name: Chrysojasminum humile

• Plant Type: Evergreen Shrub
• Geographic Origin: Asia
• Plant Size: 8-13 ft
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
• Plant Zone: 7-9

Instead of the white blooms shown by other jasmine plants, Italian Jasmine has bright yellow flowers. These flowers give way to blackberries. Having an Italian Jasmine plant is a great way to get pollinators in your garden.

Choose this shrub if you want a plant that is easy to care for. It can be used as either a shrub or a vine, and it can do well in several settings, including colder environments. However, it is much more ideal to grow this plant in as warm of an environment as possible.

Lemon-Scented Jasmine        

Scientific Name: Jasminum azoricum

• Plant Type: Evergreen Vine
• Geographic Origin: Madeira
• Plant Size: 10-12 ft
• Sun Exposure: Full to partial sun
• Plant Zone: 9-11

These plants live up to their name, thanks to their sweet and lemony scent. These blooms almost look like two flowers stacked upon each other. The petals are long and tapered. You should expect to see these flowers in small clusters around the plant.

To get the best results, plant this shrub in well-drained soil. While it can do well in partial shade, it does best when planted in full sun. This species is quite sensitive to cold weather. It is also critically endangered in its native habitat.

Pink Jasmine  

Scientific Name: Jasminum polyanthum

• Plant Type: Evergreen perennial
• Geographic Origin: China
• Plant Size: 25 ft
• Sun Exposure: Full or Part shade
• Plant Zone: 8-11

Living up to its name, pink flowers adorn this vine. That is not to say that the flowers on this plant are deep or bold pink. Instead, these blooms are delicate, very light pink, while only the buds of the plant are bright pink. This vine can be planted on trellises or as a ground cover. You can even grow it as a container plant.

Some people do just grow it as a houseplant if they do not live in one of the zones where this plant can survive overnight. However, if you grow this plant, make sure you provide it with something to help it climb, such as a trellis. This plant is one of the varieties that produces a bold fragrance.

Primrose Jasmine   

Scientific Name: Jasminum mesnyi

• Plant Type: Semi-evergreen or evergreen
• Geographic Origin: Asia
• Plant Size: 6 ft
• Sun Exposure: Full to part sun
• Plant Zone: 8-10

Thanks to this plant’s large yellow flowers, you may not think it is a jasmine plant. However, it is indeed a jasmine plant with all the ease of care and beautiful look and smell that other varieties offer.

This shrub is perfect for gardeners who can not spend a lot of time with their plants. It is drought-resistant, and it can grow easily in many environments.

It does not handle extreme cold well. If you plant this shrub in the desired environment, the only consideration you need to make is the amount of pruning needed. Primrose is a fast grower and prolific bloomer.

Royal Jasmine

Scientific Name: Jasminum nobile or Jasminum rex

• Plant Type: Evergreen shrub
• Geographic Origin: Thailand
• Plant Size: 15 ft
• Sun Exposure: Full or part
• Plant Zone: 10-11

Pick this vine if you want something that will quickly grow to cover wherever you plant it. It is an extremely fast grower, and it does well on fences and topiaries. This plant is known for having the biggest blooms of the jasmine plants. This is another variety that is known for its gorgeous scent. However, these flowers do not smell as strongly as other varieties.

What scent there is can be enjoyed for a long time since the plant blooms almost constantly throughout the year. This blooming is different from other jasmine varieties that do not bloom in the cold.

Stiff Jasmine   

Scientific Name: Jasminum volubile

• Plant Type: Evergreen
• Geographic Origin: Australia
• Plant Size: 2-5 ft
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
• Plant Zone: 8-11

This large vine is another variety that can be treated either as a shrub or as a vine. The flowers have fit the expectation most people have for jasmine. The white blooms are larger than blooms from other varieties. A single plant may produce flowers with a wide range of petal amounts. After the flowers appear, small blackberries are produced.

In its native Australian habitat, this plant usually grows on the edges of rainforests or inside dry rainforests. These plants are fine if they do not receive a lot of water.

Wild Jasmine  

Scientific Name: Chrysojasminum fruticans

• Plant Type: Evergreen shrub
• Geographic Origin: Southern Europe
• Plant Size: 12 ft
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
• Plant Zone: 7-11

Wild Jasmine is much more like a shrub than other varieties. You can grow it as such, or you can use it as a groundcover. It also does well in hedges and hanging plants.

It does best when exposed to full sunlight is drought tolerant. However, you should still aim to water it regularly if you can. While this plant can handle a bit of cold compared to other varieties, you should still avoid planting it in a cold region.

Pick this plant if you want delicate, thick leaves and simple, yellow flowers. If you want a fragrant plant, you may want to go with a different variety. The blooms on this plant do not produce a significant scent compared to many other jasmine plants.

Winter Jasmine       

Scientific Name: Jasminum nudiflorum

• Plant Type: Deciduous
• Geographic Origin: China
• Plant Size: 4-15 ft
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
• Plant Zone: 6-10

This plant produces flowers that are the same shape as other varieties of jasmine. These flowers come in the bright yellow seen in so many jasmine plants.

The name for this plant comes from a somewhat obvious source. Unlike other varieties, this plant often blooms late in the year. This is long after other plants go dormant for the year. In general, this plant is much more tolerant of colder environments than other varieties.

As a vine, you can grow this plant in a few different ways. For example, it can be used to cover a trellis or as a groundcover. It’s most commonly grown as a yellow flowering shrub or small tree.