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Osmanthus has other names too - do you know these flower names?

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Osmanthus is one of China's ten traditional flowers, an excellent garden tree that combines greening, beautification and fragrance, with both ornamental and practical value. Osmanthus is refreshingly pure and its rich scent carries far, making it truly exceptional. Especially in mid-autumn, when the osmanthus bushes bloom in profusion and the night is quiet with a full moon, drinking wine and admiring the osmanthus, with its lingering fragrance filling the air, leaves one feeling refreshed and clear-headed. Among ancient Chinese poems praising flowers, the number of works praising osmanthus is also quite considerable. Since ancient times it has been deeply loved by the Chinese people and is regarded as a traditional famous flower.

Other names for osmanthus

Osmanthus, rock osmanthus, nine-mile fragrance, golden chestnut

Morphological characteristics of osmanthus

Osmanthus is an evergreen tree or shrub, with grayish-brown bark and yellow-brown twigs that are hairless. Osmanthus leaves are elliptical or elliptically lanceolate, with acuminate tips. The petiole is 0.8-1.2 cm long, and can reach up to 15 cm at most. Cymes are clustered in the leaf axils, with many flowers in each axil. The flowers are extremely fragrant. The corolla is white, pale yellow, yellow or orange-red, 3 to 4 mm long, and the corolla tube is only 0.5-1 mm long. The fruit is skewed, elliptical, 1-1.5 cm long, and purple-black. The flowering period is from September to early October, and the fruiting period is March of the following year.

Ecological habits of osmanthus

Osmanthus prefers a warm and humid environment and has strong stress resistance; it can withstand both high temperatures and is fairly cold-tolerant. The average temperature in growing areas is 14-28 degrees. Humidity is extremely important to the growth and development of osmanthus, requiring an annual average humidity of 75%-85%, and especially during the young stage and the flowering period, the demand for moisture is greater. Drought will affect flowering. Generally, 6-8 hours of light per day is required.

Osmanthus prefers sunlight; under full sunlight its branches and leaves grow luxuriantly and it blooms abundantly, while in shady places its branches and leaves are sparse and its flowers are few. Osmanthus likes moisture but dislikes waterlogging, and also has a certain drought tolerance. It is not strict about soil requirements; apart from alkaline soil, low-lying areas, or soil that is too heavy and poorly drained, it can generally grow.

Osmanthus is suitable for planting in places with good ventilation and light. It likes a clean and well-ventilated environment, is not tolerant of smoke and dust damage, and fears flooding and waterlogging. If harmed by waterlogging, the root system turns black and rots; the leaves first have scorched tips, then the whole leaf turns yellow and falls off, ultimately leading to the death of the entire plant. It is not very cold-tolerant, but compared with other evergreen broadleaf tree species, it is still a relatively cold-tolerant tree species.

The floral meaning of osmanthus

Chinese people take osmanthus to symbolize "loftiness", "beauty", "auspiciousness", "friendliness", "the loyal and steadfast", "fragrant and upright, unyielding", "immortal friend" and "immortal guest"; they take osmanthus twigs to symbolize "outstanding figures" and "official career"; Europe and America take osmanthus twigs to symbolize "glory" and "honor".

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