Looks like a sambac to me (Jasminum sambac). Hard to tell from the leaves. The most common variety is 'Maid or Orleans'. It would be super cool if you scored some exotic Thai variety!
I'm sure some jasmine experts will chime in. ;)

If I had the plant I'd trim the stems back to about a foot or two, pull it out of its pot, shake off the existing soil and trim some of the roots and repot with some fresh potting mix (preferably a fast draining mix). If you don't have access to that I'd use the basic Miracle-Gro mix with added perlite for better drainage.
Into the potting mix I'd add Ironite to keep the leaves dark green and some slow release fertilizer (I prefer Dynamite).
Then I'd water it thoroughly and give it half strength fertilizer and put it outside where it would receive some filtered morning light for a week or two before gradually introducing it to full sun.

Good luck! :)

-Robert

I agree with Robert, it's a jasminum sambac. But we wont know which cultivar until it blooms. A pretty plant you have there! :)

Well, the friend is Cambodian, and I learned that the plant was about 10 years old before it came into my holding. Shame it was put in the basement and ignored like that.

She'd gotten clippings of it, from her sister n law. I'm looking forward to see if it ever flowers. I'll go out this weekend and get some more miracle grow and repot it. I seem to water her quite a lot - more water comes out than stays with her, still. Maybe this is a residual affect of that extended dormancy?

If there's ever flowers, I'll post them. :)

Rose, good job saving this beautiful plant. This jasmine is a fighter. I agree with Robert and Kemistry. It looks like a J. Sambac .

You have many branches growing out of the soil may due to initially they put more than one cuttings to ensure some survive, I saw it is pretty common practice in Asian community propagating Jasimes, unless this plant was planted ( may repotted)deep. When you repot it, you will find out if it is one plant or multiplants in the pot.

J. Sambac like to be pruned. Prune will encourage flower buds form. Since you just nursered it back to health, you might want only prune some longer branches and cross branches off to shape the plant and encourage the bloom.
If you repot it, you may delay the bloom, at this point, you might want wait after it done bloom to repot it. I am in Zone 5, my jasmine sambac is ready to bloom in a week or as soon as the temperature is hot. I think your is ready to bloom if you give it some fertilizer and hair cut (prune). Jasmine sambac loves sun, hot temperature , and oragnic matter in the soil. It is a heavy feeder. In Asian, I saw people just use sewer sluage as fertilizer , boy, it has lushes green leaves and heavenly scented flowers!

Regarding the water, you might want to soke the pot for 5 minutes till the soil is evenly watered. Depends on the temperaruture, you only need to water it as the soil dry, a little more on the dry side does not hurt the plant.

Good luck and enjoy this treasure.

Hi Rose,

The guys here got it right, its definitely a Sambac jasmine but not sure what cultivar it is. There's two types of jasmines I usually see grown in Cambodian gardens. These are 'Grand Duke of Tuscany' (Maliss Ruot) and 'Maid of Orleans (Maliss Lea). See if you can ask your friend the Cambodian name of this variety and if it matches with the ones I mentioned: Maliss Ruot or Maliss Lea.

By the way, 'Maid of Orleans' is preferred by Cambodians for making jasmine water as the scent of 'Grand Duke of Tuscany' is just too strong and makes the water too perfumey.

Give it lots of heat and as much sun as possible. The first blooms of the season will usually be distorted or smaller than normal.

-Dar

I live in an attic apartment - and once summer really hits - heat wont be a problem with 90+ degree days - that south facing window gets about 7 hours of light as the sun hits it first at around 9 and doesn't stop shining in until 3 or 4 pm - if not later... The picture I had posted was taken at around 7 at night.

Yes, definitely not full light by that time, but still more than any other room in my house.

I realize I should put it outside - but, the pot weighs about 50 lbs - and bringing water down 3 flights - keeping it indoors definitely would be a whole lot easier.

I'll trim her back to start and find the fertilizer to give her regular feedings. - and see if this kick starts any new growth/or blossoms. I've been happy to see her growing after the state she'd been in when I salvaged her. - Now, I need to address the fact that she can be so much more than just greenery - by trying to make her healthier by getting her some vitamins.

I'll ask my friend about the cambodian name - but she's not a plant lover so I'm doubtful she'll know more than the that "thai Jasmine" designation she told me before.

Rose

If you can ask your firend if the flower is sigle petal or double petal that will narrow down the sepcific type. The flower of 'Maid of Orleans" and "Grand Duke of Tuscany' looked very differently. The 'Maid of Orleans" has sigle flower,'Grand Duke of Tuscany' has multi-petals flower ( lots of flower petals, you can google the image to see the differences). Although, double petaled Moli is pretty common in ASian, it could be that too. But find out how many layer of flower petals will help your ID this lucky jasmine plant.

Ok, another question, as I'm planning to do the pruning this weekend. Is it possible to use the pruned branches to make another plant? I am thinking that I'd like to have some greenery on my desk at work and I may need to buy a plant light to make it survive? but - would love to have something else living, sharing my cubicle with me. :)

If it's possible? How do I do it? Do I need to soak the branches in a vase? Or use some sort of chemical to encourage roots and just throw them in dirt?

Yes, I'm a newbie to starting new plants - but, I love the learning process if someone has advice to impart - I'd be very grateful.

thanks in advance,
-Rose

My most successful jasmine cuttings have been from the Forsythe pot method but I've also read they can root in water however it would take longer for them to root.

Good luck!

-Robert

Here is a link that might be useful: Forsythe pot method

Haven't opened yet, but I found two buds this evening. I'm excited to see them open and have the mystery solved.

Rose, Please post a picture. I am anxiouse to see what the flowers look a like too.

how long will it take them to open? :) they still looked the same this morning as they did last night... and, there's just the two of them, both on the same branch close together. You'd think that they'd be spread out more.

Well, they blossomed on Saturday/Sunday. flowers didn't stay attached long... about a day. Such a shame that they came/and went - so quickly. Wish I'd get some more blooms.

Here's the picture. Maid of Orleans? :)

Yeap. Looks like Maid of Orleans.

To make the flowers last longer, you can pick the buds and let them float in a bowl of water. Select the ones that are at least the size of a pea. They may float on their sides, but will open face up pretty soon. Last time I did it, they lasted for almost a week.

an update - my jasmine is in bloom again!

Over the weekend, I noticed my friend had a different type jasmine than I did - so we did an exchange. I battled the huge mass of roots that was my plant, cut a 3rd of it off - and put it in a smaller pot. The rest I put back in the original pot with more soil added.

So, my plant has only about 5 'trunks' where it used to be close to 20. And LO! it's now ready to bloom. I called my friend, and her's is now also beginning to bloom as well.

I'm very happy to report that the new jasmine plant I received in the exchange is REALLY beautiful (and small) only about 7 inches tall. Pictures coming!

my new jasmine - as of last night, she began showing a lot of buds! ... I'm really impressed. I had noticed on my friend's plant that she kept, that the blossom is multi-layred. very pretty. I can't wait to see mine open now.

and here's a close-up of the buds. (of course don't know what type it is... will have to post the flowers once it opens.)

Rosey, wow. This jasmine has so many flower buds. The shape looks different than MOO. This one is more round, almost like Duke's bud. Please post picture when they bloom.

1 blossom, 26 to go. :)

What is she?

Wow look at the number of buds on that one! She's very pretty, roseyd! : )

Well, my MOO opened - I woke up and there she was just as pretty as last time. So, I had the chance to compare the scents between the two varieties.

MOO is stronger - it has a crisp heavyness to it - that hits the back of the nostrils. Quite powerful. The other ... I have never had a strong sense of smell - and when I put my nose up to the blossom and sniff ... it's more of a wafting delicate scent.

Hi, Rose, it has very beautiful blosom. It is not MOO. not Grand Duke, more close to Moysore Mulli.

This one is the 'something mole' :) see - almost remembered the name! ...

Rose, it is beautiful flower. It sure is not jasmine molle. It is some other asian variety jasmine. Enjoy the blooms and good luck with your plant.

Rose, I have a similar one that I found at a local vietnamese garden center. It is very similar to my Jasmine Mysore Mulli, (a double petal variety from India). The leaves and stem on this plant are different from MM though. They are more robust oval and darker than MM, IMO. The buds on the Veitnamese variety resemble Grand duke,(which is what I thought I was purchasing!!) but when they open up, they are similar to MM. Just gives an inkling of how many varieties there could be of the fragrant flower there could be!
The blooms are prolific in both.
Enjoy the blooms!
mrao77

Also, the large plant that you posted pictures could be Mysore mulli , at least look like it to me.The lighter green leaves, thin scrawny stick like branches and profuse branching is how my MM looks. The fragrance of MM is the sweetest, to my nose. The flowers are double, unlike MOI. Just my opinion. I am not sure of all the jamsines I have :)

mrao77!!! Glad to see on GW!

Do you have pics of your 'Vietnamese' MM plant? I'd love to see it! :)

yes, Mrao, you're right - the petals of the 2nd plant are much heavier to the touch, and the plant is quite blessed in her blossoming. She's going into a second bloom under my new light system. She has about 10 buds awaiting to open. Since she's in my bedroom - I can hardly wait to sleep with the scent of Jasmine wafting ... :)

So, not Mysore Mulle? ... then what?

Thanks, kemistry! Good to join in with you folks.

I have been on GW for several years, I tend to hover around and read posts on several forums, especially the tropical and fragrant forums :) I just don't find the time to post as much as I used to. I have to figure out an easier way to post pictures (maybe there is and I don't know yet?) directly from my phone, so i can post pictures. Most often, that is what keeps me from posting coz, a picture is certainly worth a thousand words :)

I promise, this weekend I will post pictures of all my jasmines..and we can take guesses at what they are :)

Roseyd, The first plant you posted looks a lot like traditional MM (Indian origin), the second one looks like an oriental version of MM. Since these sambacs all resemble each other, the only way to tell them apart is from scent. I wish there was a way to add that to the posts! I would be in heaven smelling all the flowers that you guys post :)

TT (I know they are taboo here) classifies sambacs into three - MOO (single sambacs), Belle of India (MO, AK and MM) and Grand duke (Tuscany and Supreme). The origin is what makes them different.

Hope this helps.

Mrao77

Just wanted to follow up with my promise of posting pictures of my Vietnemese double jasmine ( I think is similar to Grand duke in bud and leaf structure, but similar to Mysore mulli in flower structure). The plant is currently not in bloom, so I am posting a picture of the plant with buds. Will post flowers soon.

I have posted pictures of some of jasmines in another post, hoping to get more active on the fragrant forum :)

mrao77

Mrao, that looks like a taller version of my plant. :)