Jasminum officinale - Common jasmine is a flowering plant in the Oleaceae family; the same family featuring the olive. It is native to central Asia and distributed from the Caucasus to China. Jasmine is a deciduous climber and grows to heights of 2.5 meters. The fragrant white flowers bloom in summer. It is a hardy plant tolerant of drought conditions and pollution. Jasmine has been cultivated since ancient times. Chinese texts dating from the 3rd century give mention of the plant.
- - - - -
There are eight countries using the suffix “stan” in their names: Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Armenia is referred to as Hayastan in its native language. The term is of Persian origin and translates as “place of.” The word is also the root used in other languages to convey a similar meaning; “stadt” in German meaning “city,” “stan” in Russian meaning “settlement” and “stand” in English, also meaning “settlement.”
