Cape jasmine (Tabernaemontana divaricata), a member of the Apocynaceae (dogbane) family, is a showy tropical shrub with extremely fragrant, nocturnal, double-white 1.5-inch flowers with crimped or wavy corollas. Its glossy 6- by 2-inch leaves are elliptic and wavy margined, colored mid- to dark green above and pale green beneath. Its many-branched foliage tends to grow almost parallel to the ground, giving the shrub an attractive horizontal aspect.

The species name, divaricata, means "at an obtuse angle." A fast and easy grower, it reaches a height of 6 feet and a width of 5 to 8 feet. Native to parts of India, China, and Thailand, this plant thrives in full sun or partial shade, where temperatures are above 50 degrees in moist and fertile soil. Somewhat drought- and heat-tolerant, cape jasmine is grown for its ornamental features and grows very well in containers. Like many members of the Apocynaceae family, the stems of cape jasmine exude a milky latex when broken.