Napkins - Cloth - Gardenia on Stripes

This stunning bloom is the Cape Jasmine Gardenia. There are a number of different gardenia varieties. This one is distinctive for the initial unfurling of the (usually six) outer petals, followed by a rose-like interior bloom. Gardenias have a wonderful, faintly spicy fragrance that makes it a popular choice for perfume makers. Thought to be named after Alexander Garden, a Charleston, South Carolina, physician, gardenias have also become associated with the South. Once quite popular in wedding bouquets, the flower is now infrequently used in bouquets because of their sensitive nature. You have to be very careful with the care and handling of these blooms. If the bloom is handled too much the petals will turn black. The greens used in the striped background were pulled from the foliage surrounding the bloom in the original photograph. The white accent stripe, of course, represents the flower.