Gardenia ovularis is a small tree in the family Rubiaceae.

It is endemic to a very restricted part of north east Queensland, namely the coastal rainforests from the Bloomfield River southwards to Etty Bay, and with a further isolated occurrence at Mount Elliot, south of Townsville[4][5] It was first described by Frederick Manson Bailey in 1893.

[3] This species is listed by the Queensland Department of Environment and Science as least concern.

[1] As of 10 November 2022[update], it has not been assessed by the IUCN.