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Choisya ternata
Also called Mexican Orange Blossom, Mexican Orange, Mexican Orangeblossom
Choisya ternata is an evergreen shrub from Mexico, grown for its fragrant white spring flowers and aromatic, three-leaflet foliage. It is a drought-tolerant plant that needs well-drained soil and frost protection in cold climates.
Choisya ternata is a species of flowering plant in the family Rutaceae, known as Mexican orange blossom or Mexican orange.
Choisya ternata is widely grown as an ornamental shrub in suitable climates. It tolerates temperatures down to −10 °C (14 °F) but is severely damaged by temperatures lower than −15 °C (5 °F). It responds well to pruning and shaping.
In addition to the species, a number of cultivars are grown, including the golden-leaved C. ternata 'Lich' (usually sold under the name Sundance), and the inter-specific hybrid C. 'Aztec Pearl' (C. dumosa var. arizonica × C. ternata). The species and these two cultivars have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Many quinoline alkaloids have been isolated from leaves of C. ternata. C. ternata contains an alkaloid (ternanthranin), a volatile simple anthranilate, that was shown to have pain-killing effects in mice.
Choisya ternata originates from Mexico. It is drought tolerant, preferring well drained soils.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Choisya ternata by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
