Daphne is the city flower of Ganzhou City, Jiangxi Province.

Daphne is an evergreen shrub of the genus Daphne in the family Thymelaeaceae, and is a traditional famous flower of China. Because the plant is short and sturdy, with a natural and elegant tree form, it is also called Penglai flower and Fengliu tree. The leaves are alternate, thick in texture, and oblong; the flower buds are red, turning pale white after opening, and the flowers are small and numerous, with a rich and lasting fragrance. The flowering period can be advanced to the Spring Festival. It has very high ornamental value and is a top-grade potted ornamental plant.

Daphne

Morphological characteristics:

Evergreen erect shrub; branches stout, usually dichotomously branched, branchlets nearly cylindrical, purplish red or purplish brown, hairless. Leaves alternate, papery, oblong or obovate-elliptic, 7-13 cm long, 2.5-5 cm wide, apex obtuse-acute, base cuneate, margin entire, upper surface green, lower surface pale green, both surfaces hairless, lateral veins 7-13 pairs, distinctly raised on both surfaces together with the midvein; petiole stout, 4-10 mm long, sparsely covered with very few fine hairs or hairless.

Daphne

The outside of the flower is pale purplish red, the inside is flesh-red, hairless, several to 12 flowers forming a terminal capitate inflorescence; bracts lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, 5-8 mm long, 2-3 mm wide, hairless, veins distinctly raised; calyx tube tubular, 6-10 mm long, hairless, lobes 4, cordate-ovate or ovate-lanceolate, base cordate, equal in length to the calyx tube or longer than it; stamens 8, in 2 whorls, the lower whorl of stamens inserted above the middle of the calyx tube, the anthers of the upper whorl of stamens half exserted from the throat of the calyx tube, filaments 0.7 mm long, anthers oblong, 2 mm long; ovary oblong, hairless, apex obtuse, style short, stigma capitate. Fruit red. Flowering period March-May, fruiting period July-August.

Daphne

Growing environment:

Although Daphne has been cultivated and domesticated, it still has relatively high requirements for its site environment. It likes a warm, humid and cool climate environment and is not tolerant of severe cold; it avoids summer heat; it likes weak light and avoids direct scorching sunlight, and is suitable for growing in semi-shaded places; it likes loose-textured, well-drained fertile sandy loam, and grows poorly in heavy clay soil and dry, barren land; it avoids waterlogged land.