Gardenia

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/gardenia

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Gardenia jasminoides
2. What is the ecological niche?Understory plant in moist, well-drained, acidic forest soils with filtered sunlight
3. What is a gardenia and where does it grow?A gardenia is a pretty evergreen shrub or small tree that smells sweet. It grows in moist, acidic soil in forests of East Asia, Africa, and Australasia.
4. Why do gardenias need a lot of water and a special soil pH?They like soil that stays moist but drains well and is slightly acidic (pH 5.0-6.0). Too much water can rot their roots, and too little water makes leaves fall off.

Rubiaceae: A large family of flowering plants, commonly known as the coffee, madder, or bedstraw family.
Odoriferous Compounds: Chemical substances that produce a distinct smell, contributing to the fragrance of a plant or substance.
Habitat Fragmentation: The process by which large, continuous habitats are broken into smaller, isolated patches, often due to human activity.