Gen info
- Gardenias are members of the madder or Rubiaceae family. The genus is names for an 18th-century Ameriican physician and naturalist, Alexander Garden.
- Gardenia comprises abut 120 species and occurs in Africa, tropical and subtropical Asia, northern Australia and Islands of the Pacific. About 10 species occur in the Malesian region (Malaysia, Indonesia, New Guinea, Philippines, and Bruneii). The status of G. pesudopsidium is unclear. (2)
-   Incertae sedis  (enigmatic taxa): Gardenia pseudopsidium (Blanco) Fern.-Vill. is considered a doubtful name, to which some authors have referred the endemic G. barnesii Merr. (1)

Botany
Malabayabas is a small tree. Leaves are crowded at the ends of branchlets, obovate-oblong, 11 to 22 centimeters long, 4 to 10 centimeters wide, and pointed at both ends. Flowers are fragrant, white, but turning yellow, 7 to 10 centimeters long, and 5 to 8 centimeters wide. Calyx-tube is obscurely ridged, and the upper half linearly segmented, green and smooth. Corolla-tube is 5 to 6 centimeters long. Fruit is green, hard, ovoid or somewhat rounded, 5 to 7 centimeters long, obscurely ridged longitudinally, and terminated by the calyx crown. Seeds are many and embedded in pulp.

Distribution
- Native to the Philippines.
- Common in the primary forests at low altitudes in Cagayan, Benguet, Nueva Viscaya, Pangasinan, Tarlac, Rizal, Bataan, Batangas, Laguna, Quezon, and the Camarines Provinces in Luzon; and in Mindoro, Busuanga, Masbate, Negros, Samar, and Mindanao.

Constituents
No phytocheical studies found.

Properties
A sadly unstudied plant.

Parts used
Fruit.

Uses
Folkloric
Fruit used for smallpox.

Studies
• No studies found.

Availability
Wild-crafted.

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