Carolina Jasmine

Carolina Jasmine (Gelsemium sempervirens)

Yellow Jessamine, Evening Trumpet Flower

Full sun to part shade, medium to well-drained moisture, tolerates clay loam and sandy soils, pH 5.5–7.0.

Evergreen twining vine reaching 10–20 feet; blooms February–April with 1-inch funnel-shaped yellow flowers, strongly fragrant; spreads by rhizomes and self-seeding.

Propagation by semi-hardwood cuttings in summer or layering in fall.

Native region: West and Middle Tennessee, primarily in forest edges, thickets, and roadsides; less common in East Tennessee.

Carolina jasmine is one of the earliest-blooming woody vines in Middle Tennessee — flowers often open in February during warm spells in Columbia, making it valuable for late-winter interest. All parts of the plant are toxic: the alkaloids gelsemine and sempervirine cause neuromuscular paralysis if ingested, and cases of honey toxicity have been reported when bees work the flowers heavily — this is not a vine to plant near beehives. Despite the toxicity, it is a reliable performer on trellises, split-rail fences, and mailbox posts in Zone 6b/7a where it typically retains most of its foliage through winter. Prune immediately after flowering to avoid cutting next season's buds. Swallowtail butterfly larvae do not feed on this species — pollination is primarily by long-tongued bees.