It's becoming very late in the season, but there are still some pockets of nature where flowers are blooming. Yesterday along a shaded path near Chai Wan, SB and I enjoyed the sweet, white floral scent of Vietnamese gardenia or cape jasmine, Gardenia (Kailarsenia) vietnamensis - which is not actually a gardenia at all. The flowers are very delicate and don't last for more than a couple of days, but the scent is very strong, sweet and creamy, much like many white tropical, floral fragrances.
The leaves are a beautiful deep green, waxy and robust in contrast with the delicate flower. The Vietnamese gardenia is one of my favorite flowers in Hong Kong, along with what I believe are Fagraea ceilanica next to the hockey pitches at the Happy Valley racecourse.
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