What are the characteristics of the osmanthus tree? The latest analysis is here

Osmanthus is the collective name for many trees in the genus Osmanthus of the family Oleaceae, also known as rock osmanthus, jiulixiang, jinsu, etc. The cultivation history of osmanthus trees in China spans more than 2,500 years, and they are now widely cultivated for ornamental purposes in gardens. There are numerous horticultural cultivars, the most representative being golden osmanthus, silver osmanthus, orange osmanthus, and monthly osmanthus. Let us take a look below at what characteristics osmanthus trees have!

Extremely fragrant flowers

Osmanthus usually blooms from September to October. Its cymes are clustered in the leaf axils, and the corolla is yellowish white, pale yellow, yellow, or orange-red. The flowers are aromatic, so pure they seem to cleanse the dust, and so rich their scent carries far, making them truly unmatched. Especially in mid-autumn, when the clustered osmanthus blooms in full glory, and on quiet nights when the moon is full, drinking wine and admiring the osmanthus with its lingering fragrance filling the nose leaves one refreshed and spirited. In ancient Chinese poetry praising flowers, the number of works praising osmanthus is also quite considerable, and it has been deeply loved by Chinese people since ancient times.

Strong adaptability

Osmanthus is adapted to subtropical climate regions and prefers warmth and moisture. In cultivation areas, the average temperature is 14-28°C, the average July temperature is 24-28°C, the average January temperature is above 0°C, it can withstand a minimum temperature of -13°C, and the optimum growth temperature is 15-28°C. Humidity is extremely important for the growth and development of osmanthus, requiring an annual average humidity of 75-85% and annual precipitation of around 1,000 millimeters. Especially during the young stage and when mature trees are flowering, they need more water; if drought occurs, it will affect flowering. Strong sunlight and shade are both unfavorable to its growth, and it generally requires 6-8 hours of light per day.

Wide distribution

Osmanthus is native to the eastern section of the Himalayas in southwestern China, and is also distributed in India, Nepal, and Cambodia. Wild osmanthus grows in southwestern China, Sichuan, southern Shaanxi, Yunnan, Guangxi, Guangdong, Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi, Anhui, Henan, and other places. It is now widely planted in the Huai River basin and areas to the south. Its suitable growing area reaches as far north as the lower reaches of the Yellow River and as far south as Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, and other places, and it has formed several nationally famous osmanthus commercial production bases in Lu'an, Anhui; Xianning, Hubei; Taoyuan, Hunan; Suzhou, Jiangsu; Guilin, Guangxi; Wuhan, Hubei; Hangzhou, Zhejiang; and Chengdu, Sichuan.

Many cultivars

Through long-term planting, natural hybridization, and artificial selection, osmanthus has produced many cultivated varieties. Through further investigation and sorting, 32 osmanthus cultivars have been preliminarily identified. By flower color, there are golden osmanthus, silver osmanthus, and orange osmanthus. By leaf type, there are willow-leaf osmanthus, golden-fan osmanthus, dripping-water yellow, sunflower-leaf, and chai-handle yellow. By flowering period, there are August osmanthus, four-season osmanthus, monthly osmanthus, and so on.

Wide range of uses

Osmanthus stays green all year round, with luxuriant branches and leaves, blooms in autumn, and spreads fragrance everywhere, so it is widely used in gardens. The flowers can be used in food and cosmetics, can be made into cakes and candies, and can also be used to brew wine. The flowers, fruits, and roots can also be used as medicine. The flowers are pungent in taste and warm in nature, with the effects of dispersing cold and breaking stagnation, and resolving phlegm and relieving cough, and are used for toothache, cough and asthma with profuse phlegm, and abdominal pain with closed menstruation. The fruit is pungent and sweet in taste and warm in nature, with the effects of warming the stomach, calming the liver, and dispersing cold, and is used for deficiency-cold stomach pain. The root is sweet and slightly astringent in taste and neutral in nature, with the effects of dispelling wind-dampness and dispersing cold, and is used for rheumatic muscle and bone pain, low back pain, and kidney-deficiency toothache.