Detailed Explanation of the Cutting Propagation Method for Redbacks

Livestock Farming Jan 1, 1970 0 views

The cultivation difficulty of redbacks is not high, but because redbacks have relatively high ornamental value, they are often made into potted plants and kept, and are deeply welcomed by people. Therefore, the demand is relatively large. Now, redbacks mostly use cutting methods for rapid seedling propagation to meet market demand.

The cultivation difficulty of redbacks (details) is not high, but because redbacks have relatively high ornamental value, they are often made into potted plants and kept, and are deeply welcomed by people. Therefore, the demand is relatively large. Now, redbacks mostly use cutting methods for rapid seedling propagation to meet market demand.

Redbacks

I. Cutting Time

The best time is before the spring buds begin to sprout. During this period, the branches contain abundant hormones and accumulate many nutrients. After cutting, the temperature rises again, and the cuttings quickly produce callus tissue. If the opportunity is missed, then cuttings can be taken from late July to mid-August after the spring shoots stop growing and before the flower buds and autumn shoots begin to sprout, but young branches that sprouted and grew in the spring of the same year must be selected as cuttings to achieve an ideal survival rate.

II. Cutting Bed Preparation

When taking cuttings, choose a sunny place and dig a flat-bottomed rectangular pit 12 m long, 1.2 m wide, and 0.7 m deep. At the bottom, fill in a 40 cm thick layer of stored manure, or other heat-generating material, and on top spread a 15-20 cm layer of vermiculite or perlite as the cutting substrate for the seedbed. After cutting, build a small plastic arched shed 50 cm high and a shade shed 1 m high. After the seedbed is prepared, strictly disinfect the soil with a 0.5% potassium permanganate aqueous solution to prevent damping-off and rot in the seedlings.

III. Cutting Operation

When taking cuttings, select healthy, pest- and disease-free autumn shoots from the previous year as cuttings, cut them to 8-10 cm long, keep 2-3 leaves at the top, then soak the base of the cuttings about 2 cm deep in a 0.05%-0.1% naphthaleneacetic acid aqueous solution for about 5 seconds, cutting, soaking, and inserting as you go. When inserting, use a 10 x 10 cm plant and row spacing, first make a small hole with a wooden (bamboo) stick, insert the cutting, cover with substrate and press lightly to firm, water thoroughly with a fine-hole watering can, then cover with film and a straw curtain shade shed. The autumn cutting method is the same as in spring, but temperature should be especially well controlled to avoid excessively high temperatures affecting survival.

Redbacks Cultivation Methods and Precautions

Chinese Scientific Name: Redbacks

Latin Scientific Name: Excoecaria cochinchinensis Lour

Other Names: Hongzimu, Zibeigui

Kingdom: Plantae

Phylum: Angiospermae

Class: Dicotyledoneae

Order: Euphorbiales

Suborder: Euphorbiineae

Family: Euphorbiaceae

Genus: Excoecaria

Species: Redbacks

Distribution Area: Commonly cultivated in Taiwan, China, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, and other places in China. Also found in various countries in Southeast Asia.

Family Catalog Number: 174

Redbacks is red-backed gui. It is an evergreen small shrub in the Euphorbiaceae family, named because the underside of its leaves is red. It is a foliage and flowering plant with relatively high practical value. In the Yangtze River Basin and areas to the south in China, it is often used as a potted plant, placed on windowsills, balconies, or in courtyards, and can also be used as medicine.

1. Morphological Characteristics

Evergreen shrub, up to about 1 m tall; branches hairless, with many lenticels. Leaves opposite, rarely also alternate or nearly 3-whorled, papery, leaf blades narrowly elliptic or oblong, 6-14 cm long, 1.2-4 cm wide, apex long acuminate, base gradually narrowed, margin sparsely fine-toothed, tooth spacing 3-10 mm, both surfaces hairless, adaxial surface green, abaxial surface purplish red or blood red; midvein raised on both surfaces, lateral veins 8-12 pairs, arcuately ascending, curved and arched near the margin, reticulate veins inconspicuous; petiole 3-10 mm long, without glands; stipules ovate, apex pointed, about 1 mm long. Flowers unisexual, dioecious, gathered into axillary or rarely also terminal racemes, male inflorescences 1-2 cm long, female inflorescences composed of 3-5 flowers, slightly shorter than male inflorescences. Male flowers: pedicel about 1.5 mm long; bracts broadly ovate, length and width nearly equal, about 1.7 mm, apex mucronate and finely toothed, base with 1 gland on each side of the adaxial surface, each bract with only 1 flower; bracteoles 2, linear, about 1.5 mm long, apex pointed, upper part with lacerate fine teeth, base also with 1 gland on each side; sepals 3, lanceolate, about 1.2 mm long, apex finely toothed; stamens long-exserted beyond the sepals, anthers circular, slightly shorter than the filaments. Female flowers: pedicel robust, 1.5-2 mm long, bracts and bracteoles the same as in male flowers; sepals 3, slightly united at the base, ovate, 1.8 mm long, nearly 1.2 mm wide; ovary spherical, hairless, styles 3, free or more or less united at the base, about 2.2 mm long. Capsule spherical, about 8 mm in diameter, base truncate, apex concave; seeds nearly spherical, about 2.5 mm in diameter. Flowering period almost year-round.

2. Growing Environment

Not drought-tolerant, not very cold-tolerant, optimum growth temperature 15-25°C, winter temperature not lower than 5°C. Tolerant of semi-shade, avoid direct sunlight exposure, place in shade in summer to maintain dark green leaf color. Requires fertile, well-drained sandy loam.

3. Distribution

Distributed in Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, and other areas of southern China.

4. Propagation Methods

Because the demand for redbacks seedlings is large, the rapid cutting propagation method is widely used.

Cutting Time

Cutting Bed Preparation

Cutting Operation

Post-Cutting Management

【Temperature]: Strictly control the temperature of the seedbed substrate at 26°C-28°C, and control the air temperature at 23°C-25°C. Note that the air temperature cannot be higher than the ground temperature, otherwise the cuttings will sprout before rooting, or even fail to root, causing a false survival phenomenon and eventually withering and dying.

【Light]: 7-10 days after cutting, make the shade shed's light transmittance reach about 30%, so that the cuttings can receive thin scattered light, which helps the leaves carry out photosynthesis and promotes callus tissue formation at the base of the cuttings to begin rooting. When about 80% of the cuttings have rooted and the roots are 2-3 cm long, remove the film, and remove the straw curtain before 11 a.m. and after 5 p.m. to promote robust seedling growth.
【Water and Fertilizer]: After cutting, spray at least two or three times a day, ventilate every two or three days, keep the substrate moist, and control the relative air humidity at about 90%. At the same time, after the cuttings root, spray fertilizer on the leaves with a 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate aqueous solution once a week to promote seedling growth.

Osmanthus Osmanthus fragrans Osmanthus Illustrated Guide: How to Grow Osmanthus / How to Propagate Osmanthus

Osmanthus Profile
Osmanthus Osmanthus fragrans
Osmanthus Cultivation Methods and Precautions Introduction to Osmanthus
Osmanthus (English: Sweet Olive), Oleaceae, Osmanthus genus, also known as "Yangui" and "Muxi", commonly called osmanthus tree. Evergreen shrub or small tree, a temperate tree species. Leaves opposite, mostly elliptic or long elliptic, leaf surface smooth, leathery, leaf margin serrate. Flowers clustered, corolla split to the base, with milky white, yellow, orange-red, and other colors. In China, more than 20 cities including Xinyang City, Quzhou City, and Hanzhong City use osmanthus as their city flower or city tree. Osmanthus is praised by the world for its calm and steadfast character. "Zaijingtang Collection - Jiangnan Jingshi Poetry Draft - Osmanthus": "The jade tree stands quietly as the severe season comes, after a thousand flowers are killed, then flowers bloom. Pure and steadfast, it further creates a realm of clear fragrance; the desolate earth depends on it for revival." Related plays and songs include "August Osmanthus Blooms Everywhere," etc.
Morphological Characteristics of Osmanthus
Osmanthus is an evergreen shrub or small tree, a temperate tree species. Leaves opposite, mostly elliptic or long elliptic, leaf surface smooth, leathery, leaf margin serrate.
Osmanthus flowers are clustered, and the corolla is split to the base, with milky white, yellow, orange-red, and other colors.

Ecological Habits of Osmanthus
Osmanthus is adapted to subtropical climate regions and prefers warmth and humidity. The average temperature in cultivation areas 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 about 1000 mm. Especially in the young stage and when mature trees bloom, more water is needed. If drought occurs, flowering will be affected. Strong sunlight and shade are unfavorable to its growth, and generally 6-8 hours of light per day are required.
Osmanthus prefers a warm environment and is suitable for growing in deep, well-drained, fertile, humus-rich, slightly acidic sandy soil. It is not tolerant of drought or barrenness. On shallow, compacted, barren soil, it grows especially slowly, with sparse branches and leaves, small thin leaves, yellowed leaf color, no flowering or very little flowering, and even periodic dieback of the top, and in severe cases the entire osmanthus plant dies; it likes sunlight but has a certain ability to tolerate shade. Young trees need a certain amount of shade, and after maturity they require relatively sufficient light to ensure normal growth of osmanthus. According to observation, when one side of a single osmanthus tree canopy is close to a wall, or when the canopies of two osmanthus trees overlap each other, the side close to the wall or the overlapping part of the canopy quickly becomes sparse, affecting the overall shape and beauty of the canopy.
It can be seen that osmanthus is suitable for planting in ventilated and light-transmitting places; osmanthus likes a clean and ventilated environment and is not tolerant of smoke and dust damage. After being damaged, it often cannot bloom; it fears waterlogging and standing water. If suffering from waterlogging damage, the root system turns black and rots, the leaves first have scorched leaf tips, then the whole leaf withers and falls off, and further causes the entire plant to die; it is not very cold-tolerant, but compared with other evergreen broad-leaved tree species, it is still a relatively cold-tolerant tree species, which provides more possibilities for potted osmanthus in the north.

Cultivation Techniques for Osmanthus Cultivation Points
1. Planting: It should be chosen in spring or autumn, especially best on cloudy or rainy days. Choose a ventilated, well-drained, and warm place; sufficient light or semi-shade environments are both acceptable. When transplanting, make a soil ball to ensure the survival rate. The planting soil should be slightly acidic, and alkaline soil should be avoided. The formula for potted osmanthus soil is 2 parts leaf mold, 3 parts garden soil, 3 parts sandy soil, and 2 parts decomposed cake fertilizer. Mix them evenly, then pot or repot, which can be done before spring sprouting.
2. Light and Temperature: In areas south of the Yellow River Basin, it can be cultivated outdoors for overwintering. Potted plants should be moved indoors in winter and placed in a sunny place so they can fully receive direct sunlight. Keep the room temperature above 5°C, but it must not exceed 10°C. After sprouting in April of the following year, move them outdoors, first place them in a wind-sheltered, sunny place for care, and after stable growth gradually move them to a ventilated, sunny, or semi-shade environment, then carry out normal management. Insufficient light during the growing period affects flower bud differentiation.
3. Watering and Fertilizing: Before field planting, mix herbaceous ash and organic fertilizer into the planting hole first, and water thoroughly once after planting. Keep the soil moist before new branches emerge, and do not apply fertilizer water. Generally, apply nitrogen fertilizer once in spring and phosphorus and potassium fertilizer once in summer to make flowers abundant and leaves lush. Before winter, apply overwintering organic fertilizer once, mainly decomposed cake fertilizer and barnyard manure. Avoid concentrated fertilizer, especially avoid human feces and urine. Potted osmanthus in the north should be moved into a low-temperature greenhouse in winter, and indoors attention should be paid to ventilation and light transmission, with less watering. After moving out in April, the amount of water can be appropriately increased. During the peak growing season, an appropriate amount of dilute fertilizer water can be applied, and during the flowering season the fertilizer water can be slightly more concentrated.
4. Shaping and Pruning: Determine according to the tree, set the main framework well according to the tree posture, and remove other root suckers, overly dense branches, leggy branches, crossing branches, and diseased and weak branches to allow ventilation and light transmission. For trees that are strong at the top and weak at the bottom, the upper branches can be shortened by 1/3 to make the overall tree vigor strong. At the same time, apply a wound healing and antiseptic film to the pruning cuts to protect the wounds.
5. Growing Osmanthus in the North: Generally speaking, osmanthus is widely planted in the Huai River Basin and areas to the south, and its suitable growing area can reach the lower reaches of the Yellow River in the north and Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hainan in the south. However, Beijing and Qingdao can also grow osmanthus. In "300 Questions on Home Flower Growing" by "Feng Tianzhe," it says that in winter, after young osmanthus trees enter winter, water once with antifreeze water and cultivate soil at the base of the tree to protect the roots, then wrap the trunk and branches with 7 layers of thick newspaper, and they can overwinter in the open air in Beijing. After three years, there is no need to wrap them for winter again.

Cultivation Points for Osmanthus Container Seedlings
I. Anti-Freezing Measures: Osmanthus is slightly cold-tolerant. Osmanthus container seedlings potted from cuttings in the same year are prone to freezing damage, and generally should be moved into a greenhouse before the temperature drops below 0°C.
II. Pest and Disease Control: Osmanthus is prone to anthracnose, brown spot disease, leaf blight, leaf branch disease, leaf roller moth, whitefly, scale insects, bagworm moths, stinging moths, osmanthus leafhoppers, and other pests and diseases. Observe promptly and spray pesticides promptly for control.

Cultivation Management
In the Yangtze River Basin and warm areas to the south, field planting is mostly practiced. For field planting, choose a section with sufficient sunlight, good drainage, deep topsoil, and light pollution. Osmanthus planting holes should be dug deep and wide, and more barnyard manure, plant ash, and other materials should be applied as base fertilizer. When planting, large seedlings must carry soil balls to ensure transplant survival. Planting should not be too deep. After the seedlings survive and recover, apply fertilizer once together with watering. After the flowers fade in winter, apply base fertilizer once. When spring buds sprout and new leaves develop, apply a quick-acting fertilizer mainly of nitrogen once. Before flowering in July, apply a quick-acting fertilizer mainly of phosphorus and potassium once. In October, apply a slow-release fertilizer mainly of organic matter once, which can make growth and flowering good. Before flowering, attention should be paid to irrigation; during flowering, water should be controlled, otherwise too much water easily causes flower drop. Pruning should be done after flowering in autumn, and heavy pruning is not suitable. Only diseased and pest-infested branches, thin and weak branches, damaged branches, inward-growing branches, and leggy branches need to be pruned. Usually, attention should also be paid to pest and disease control.
In North China, because winters are cold, osmanthus is not suitable for field cultivation and is mostly grown in pots. Potted soil requirements are not strict; mountain soil or leaf mold, garden soil, river sand, etc. can be selected and mixed. A slightly acidic pH is best. If the pH value is too low, growth is slow and leaves easily turn yellow and wither, so some lime powder or plant ash can be added to adjust it; if the pH value is too high, leaves easily wither and even die, so some ferrous sulfate or aluminum sulfate can be added for improvement.
Potted osmanthus transplanting and potting are carried out before spring buds sprout or after autumn flowering. After transplanting well, water thoroughly once, move to a shaded place for 7-10 days, and only after growth resumes and new leaves emerge can normal watering and fertilizing begin. The suitable soil moisture for pot soil is 50% water content. Before new shoots appear and on cloudy and rainy days, water less. In summer and autumn when the weather is dry, more watering is needed. When flowering in autumn, do not water too much to prevent flower drop. On cloudy and rainy days, avoid standing water, otherwise prolonged standing water will cause root rot. For fertilizing potted osmanthus, refer to field cultivation fertilizing.
Osmanthus has a developed root system and strong sprouting ability. Mature osmanthus trees produce shoots twice each year in spring and autumn, so they should be pruned appropriately and promptly. Pruning should be done after autumn flowering or before spring sprouting. The purpose of pruning is to maintain the physiological balance between reproductive growth and vegetative growth, so that osmanthus has abundant flowers and lush leaves. Pruning should remove overly dense branches, leggy branches, damaged branches, and diseased and pest-infested branches. During the growing period, cut off sprouting branches to help concentrate nutrients and produce abundant flowering. [12] The optimum growth temperature for osmanthus is 25-28°C. Above 30°C is unfavorable for growth and development, and below -6°C it is prone to freezing damage. The room temperature suitable for safe overwintering of potted plants is between 0-10°C. In the north, move osmanthus indoors in late autumn, keep the pot soil slightly moist, and let it fully enter dormancy to facilitate flowering the next year. After Qingming the following year, move it to a ventilated and sunny place for care. Potted osmanthus should be repotted and soil-changed once every 1-2 years, with sufficient base fertilizer applied.

Propagation Methods of Osmanthus

Propagation Methods: There are many propagation methods for osmanthus, including sowing, grafting, layering, cutting, and other methods.
1. Seed Propagation
The number of years from sowing and seedling raising to flowering is relatively long, so home flower growers mostly do not use this method.
Osmanthus fruits mature from April to May. When the fruit skin changes from green to purplish black, they can be harvested. Osmanthus seeds have after-ripening, and require at least half a year of sand storage. After harvest, sprinkle water and pile them for fermentation, remove the flesh, place them in a cool place to let the seeds dry naturally, mix with sand, and store. After sand storage, they can be sown in autumn or spring. During sand storage, inspect frequently to prevent the seeds from molding or being damaged by rats. Sowing propagation generally uses the drill sowing method. Before sowing, prepare the land well and apply sufficient base fertilizer; it can also be sown in indoor seedbeds. When sowing, place the seed hilum sideways to avoid bending of the radicle and young stem, which would affect seedling growth in the future. After sowing, cover with a layer of fine soil, then cover with grass, shade and keep moist, and often keep the soil moist. Seedlings can emerge in the same year. About 20 kg of seed is used per mu, and about 30,000 seedlings can be produced. After the seedlings grow in the seedbed for 2 years, they can be transplanted for cultivation in the 3rd year. Seedling trees flower relatively late, and can only show flowers after 8-10 years of planting.
2. Grafting Propagation
Rootstocks for grafting are mostly privet, small-leaf privet, wax privet, water wax, white wax, and fringetree (also known as Yougongzi, Niujinzi), etc. When propagating seedlings in large quantities, the north mostly uses small-leaf privet. Before spring sprouting, cut off the rootstock 5 cm above the ground; cut 1-2-year-old strong osmanthus branches 10-12 cm long, cut one side of the base into a 2-3 cm cut surface, and cut the opposite side into a 45-degree small slope; make a vertical cut about 1/3 of the way on one side of the rootstock, about 2-3 cm deep; insert the scion into the cut, align the cambium, tie tightly with a plastic bag, then bury in soil for cultivation. Using small-leaf privet as rootstock gives a high survival rate, grafted seedlings grow fast, have a short lifespan, and easily form the "small foot" phenomenon of "thick top and thin bottom." Using water wax as rootstock gives slow growth but a longer lifespan. Potted osmanthus mostly uses approach grafting. Using fringetree as rootstock, approach grafting should be carried out in the growing season, and should not be done in the rainy season or dog days. When approach grafting, select scions and rootstocks with similar branch thickness, cut a spindle-shaped cut on the appropriate part of the scion, deep to the xylem, about 3-4 cm long, cut a cut of the same size as the scion at the same height on the rootstock, then place the two cuts together so that the cambiums of the two are closely joined, tie tightly with plastic strips, and after healing, cut off the rootstock above the graft union and the scion below it. The root system of grafted seedlings varies with the rootstock; cuttings buried in soil easily produce adventitious roots in various places, but there is no obvious main root. Osmanthus has strong branching and low branching points, especially obvious in youth, so it often appears shrubby after a long time. After dense planting or pruning, it can form an obvious trunk. The bark is rough, gray-brown or gray-white, sometimes showing lenticels. The leaf surface is smooth, leathery, dark bright green on the adaxial side, and lighter on the abaxial side; elliptic, long elliptic, ovate, obovate, lanceolate, oblanceolate, long lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate.
3. Cutting Propagation
Before spring sprouting, use 1-year-old fully developed branches, cut them into 5-10 cm lengths, remove the lower leaves, keep 2-3 green leaves at the top, and insert them into a river sand or loess seedbed at a plant and row spacing of 3 cm x 20 cm. After inserting, irrigate or spray water promptly, and shade, maintaining a temperature of 20-25°C and relative humidity of 85%-90%. After 2 months they can root and be transplanted. [12] 4. Layering Propagation can be divided into simple layering and air layering. For simple layering, osmanthus must use low-branching or clustered mother plants. The time is from spring to early summer. Select relatively robust low-trunk mother trees, choose 1-2-year-old branches on the lower part, select easily bendable parts, cut or girdle with a sharp knife, deep to the xylem, then press them into a 3-5 cm deep trench, and fix the pressed branches with wooden strips, leaving only the shoot tip and leaves outside. The air layering method is to select 1-2-year-old robust branches from the mother tree in spring, cut a ring or girdle in the same way as simple layering, or make a cut from the lower side, 6-9 cm long, then apply culture substrate to the wound, tie tightly above and below with plastic bags, and during the cultivation process always keep the substrate moist. After rooting in autumn, cut away from the mother plant for care.

Selecting Osmanthus Seeds
Propagating osmanthus from seeds is the fastest, but the common methods are cutting or layering. However, sowing is the best way to propagate osmanthus in large quantities. Not all osmanthus seeds are suitable for growing osmanthus seedlings. The mother tree selected for seed must be more than 18 years old. Osmanthus seeds from such trees will have a higher emergence rate, and the seedlings grown will have stronger resistance.
A large portion of osmanthus seeds are picked before they mature, and it is even less possible to guarantee that the osmanthus tree age is more than 18 years. Because the mother trees have been contracted for many years, the quality is guaranteed to a certain extent. When selecting seeds, choose clean seeds, choose golden yellow in color, with one end pointed and one end shield-shaped. Once the seeds are selected, you must learn to store them. Store the seeds well in moist sand, and drug management in the field the next year will also be reduced.

Osmanthus Cultivation Methods 1. Why is Four-Season Osmanthus not fragrant?
Answer: The reason Four-Season Osmanthus blooms year-round but is not fragrant is caused by the relatively light fragrance of the variety itself. Among common osmanthus varieties, the strongest fragrance is Dan Gui, followed by Jin Gui, then Yin Gui, while the fragrance of Four-Season Osmanthus is the lightest. As an economic crop, it is rarely cultivated, precisely because its flowering is sparse and its fragrance is not strong; as an ornamental potted plant, it is because its tree shape is beautiful and it blooms in all four seasons, making it suitable for potted ornamental viewing. Four-Season Osmanthus mostly grows in clusters, with yellow-white flowers, relatively sparse, light fragrance, and a long flowering period. Generally, except in severe winter and scorching summer, it can bloom about once every two months, with a slightly stronger fragrance in autumn and lighter at other times. Its varieties include large-leaf Four-Season Osmanthus and small-leaf Four-Season Osmanthus. If Yueyue Gui lacks light and phosphorus fertilizer during cultivation, its floral fragrance becomes faint. If the plant is placed in a sunny and ventilated environment, topdressed once every 10 days, and appropriately given more phosphorus fertilizer, the fragrance of the flowers can be increased to a certain extent, but it is still not as good as other varieties.
2. Why does potted osmanthus not bloom?
Answer: First, insufficient light. Osmanthus likes light. When the light intensity during the vegetative growth period is below 60°C, its growth and development decline, vegetative growth worsens, and the number of flowers decreases. When light is seriously insufficient, because photosynthesis weakens and nutrient accumulation is low, it cannot bloom. Therefore, sufficient light must be given. Second, lack of fertilizer. Osmanthus has a relatively large amount of growth and flowering and needs to consume a large amount of nutrients. Poor pot soil or insufficient fertility will also affect the plant's growth and flowering. Therefore, when shoots are drawn, apply nitrogen-based fertilizer 1-2 times, and from the flower bud differentiation period (beginning at the end of May) to before flowering, apply phosphorus-based fertilizer 2-3 times. Third, pot soil is too wet. Osmanthus avoids excessive moisture and standing water. Waterlogging causes root rot, leading to poor growth and failure to bloom, and in severe cases can also cause the death of the potted plant. Watering should follow the principle of "do not water if not dry, water thoroughly when watering." After heavy rain and rainstorms, promptly pour out standing water in the pot. Pay special attention to weather that clears after rain, and even more avoid damaging the root system. Fourth, the soil is alkaline. Osmanthus likes slightly acidic soil, with a pH value of 5.5-6.5 as suitable. Osmanthus growing in alkaline soil often has poor growth and is affected in flowering. Fifth, smoke and dust pollution. Osmanthus is not tolerant of smoke, dust, and pollution. When there is too much smoke and dust or after pollution, the leaves become smaller, easily fall off, and show the phenomenon of only growing leaves and not blooming. Sixth, it has not reached flowering age.
3. What edible health benefits does osmanthus have?
Answer: Osmanthus tea has the effect of clearing fragrance and refreshing the mind. After briefly blanching osmanthus in boiling water, take it out and dry it, preserve it with white sugar, and seal it in a bottle to maintain color and aroma; it can be used as a food spice. Mix osmanthus and pure lotus root starch with white sugar and brew, and it becomes osmanthus lotus root starch, which is delicious and appetizing. Take top-grade small jujubes, cook with sugar, and when the soup is almost gone, add osmanthus to make spleen-strengthening and appetite-opening osmanthus candied jujubes. Gui branches, Gui seeds, and Gui roots can all be used as medicine. Guizhi Decoction, prepared from Gui branches, peony root, ginger, jujube, and licorice, specifically treats externally contracted wind pathogens, fever, headache, and other symptoms. Gui root tastes sweet and slightly astringent.
4. How to thaw frozen osmanthus?
Answer: In early winter, when osmanthus is attacked by a cold wave, it is very prone to freezing damage. In affected plants, the concentration of the solution in the intercellular spaces increases, and the protoplasm severely dehydrates, causing young leaves to shrink. In this situation, if you rush to place the affected potted plant in a high-temperature place or in direct sunlight, it will instead accelerate the death of the osmanthus. The correct method is to take slow thawing measures so that the cells gradually absorb water and return to normal. In this situation, you can also quickly wrap the potted flower with highly absorbent waste newspaper for three layers together with the pot. When wrapping, be careful not to damage the branches and leaves of the potted flower and avoid direct sunlight. Leave it quietly like this for one day so that the temperature of the potted flower gradually rises. After this treatment, the frozen potted flower can revive.
5. How can osmanthus be made to grow with a well-proportioned plant shape?
Answer: First, when planting osmanthus, place the flower plant in the exact center of the pot. After watering thoroughly, straighten any tilted plant to lay a good foundation for future cultivation. Second, prune reasonably. When pruning, pay attention to the overall appearance of the flower plant, pay attention to retaining buds, and try to let the terminal buds grow toward gaps. Prune strong branches heavily, cut off useless weak branches, and retain and lightly prune those needed to fill gaps. Third, tie and shape the potted flower moderately. If a certain direction has a large gap, the dense branches can be tied toward the gap. Fourth, turn the pot frequently. For osmanthus that does not need pruning, turn the pot frequently so that the gap can be exposed to the sun and induce new branches. Turning the pot: throughout the year, the sun always moves along its orbit, so the angle and intensity of light are always changing. If the flower pot is fixed in one position for a long time, one side of the plant always cannot receive proper light. Over time, round potted plants grow unevenly because of uneven sunlight. Therefore, during the growing season, rotate the flower pot 45 degrees every 10 days. By frequently turning the flower pot, all angles and directions of the plant will grow evenly, the side branches around the main trunk will also be neat and consistent, and the leaves can evenly receive sunlight. Therefore, the plant's shape and posture can be full and beautiful, achieving ornamental effects from all angles, and can make the branches and leaves grow more stretched and beautiful.
6. Why does osmanthus easily die at the turn of winter and spring?
Answer: This should be investigated from management methods. In addition to providing appropriate water and sufficient light, not fertilizing osmanthus in winter and placing it in a cool and cold environment is especially important. The reason osmanthus easily dies in winter is not because the environment is not warm enough, but because the environment is not cool enough. In the place of origin of osmanthus, winter is not warm. Osmanthus, which has adapted to this growing environment for thousands of years, when overwintering in a warm place, shows no obvious abnormality in the plant at first. On the contrary, it seems to forget that winter has arrived, grows buds and draws shoots, and looks full of thriving growth. However, this situation cannot last long. Changes in indoor lighting and temperature and other factors cannot satisfy growth like that in summer, and old leaves begin to fall off, new shoots wilt, and the plant dies. To make the osmanthus you grow overwinter safely, in winter place it in a 0-5°C environment, give sufficient sunlight, do not apply topdressing, and avoid overly wet pot soil. After winter passes, you will find that the osmanthus you grow not only survives safely, but also appears stronger in growth than those that survived winter by chance in a high-temperature environment.
7. How to fertilize more reasonably?
Answer: (1) Reasonable fertilization should follow the principle of light fertilizer applied frequently, mainly quick-acting nitrogen, and large seedlings should be fertilized 3 to 4 times per year. In early spring, when buds begin to swell and roots begin activity, the osmanthus tree will absorb fertilizer. Therefore, early spring orchards should be fertilized to promote the growth of spring shoots. For flowers that first open on spring buds, in the autumn of that year, strong spring shoot growth in the future will produce more flowers. Osmanthus trees bloom in autumn. To restore tree vigor and supplement nutrients, inorganic fertilizer or mixed garbage fertilizer is needed before winter. At the same time, according to the growth of osmanthus, fertilize once or twice. A newly transplanted osmanthus tree has damaged roots, so its absorption capacity is weak, and fertilizer should not be added too early. Base fertilizer should be mixed evenly with the soil in the planting pit before adding soil. The roots should not directly contact the fertilizer, so as not to damage the roots and affect the survival rate of the osmanthus tree.
(2) Fertilizer must be applied at the roots to be well absorbed. In this way, transplanting is likely to survive. When fertilizing seedlings, the fertilizer concentration should not be too far from the seedlings, otherwise the roots will expand outward. It should not be applied to the main trunk of the tree, because this is not conducive to fertilizer absorption.

Disease Control of Osmanthus

Osmanthus brown spot disease, osmanthus leaf blight, and osmanthus anthracnose are common leaf diseases of osmanthus. These diseases can cause early defoliation of osmanthus, weaken plant vigor, and reduce osmanthus flower yield and ornamental value. The main pest in home osmanthus cultivation is mites, commonly known as red spiders. Once disease is found, it should be treated immediately. Mite Clear, aphid-mite killer, and azocyclotin can be used for foliar spraying. Spray both the front and back of the leaves evenly. Once a week, for 2-3 consecutive times, and it can be cured.
Osmanthus Brown Spot Disease
In the early stage of the disease, small chlorotic yellow spots appear on the leaves, gradually expanding into nearly circular lesions, 2-10 mm in diameter, or the lesions become irregular due to expansion restricted by leaf veins. The lesions are yellow-brown to gray-brown, with a yellow halo around the outside. Brown spot disease generally occurs from April to October, and old leaves are more susceptible than young leaves. The pathogen overwinters as mycelium on diseased fallen leaves, and in the spring of the following year produces conidia for primary infection. Conidia are spread by airflow and raindrops.
Osmanthus Leaf Blight
The pathogen of this disease mostly invades from the leaf margin and leaf tip, and occurs at the leaf margin and leaf tip of the leaves. In the early stage of the disease, light brown small spots are produced on the leaves, gradually expanding into circular or irregular lesions, then expanding into nearly circular or irregular gray-brown large spots with dark brown edges. Leaf blight occurs from July to November, and can occur year-round in poorly conditioned greenhouses. The pathogen spreads and infects by conidia through wind and water. High temperature, high humidity, and poor ventilation are conducive to the disease. When plant growth is weak, and on old leaves after overwintering and leaves on the lower part of the plant, the disease is more severe.
Osmanthus Anthracnose
This disease infects osmanthus leaves. In the early stage of the disease, small chlorotic spots appear on the leaves, and after gradually expanding they form circular, semicircular, or elliptical lesions. The lesions are light brown to gray-white, with a reddish-brown ring at the edge. Under moist conditions, light pink viscous acervuli appear on the lesions. Anthracnose occurs from April to June. The pathogen overwinters as acervuli in diseased fallen leaves and is spread by wind and rain.
Control Measures
First, reduce the source of infection. Thoroughly remove diseased fallen leaves in autumn. For potted osmanthus, promptly remove diseased leaves. Second, strengthen cultivation management. Choose fertile, well-drained soil or substrate for planting osmanthus; apply more organic fertilizer and potassium fertilizer; the planting density should be appropriate to allow ventilation and light transmission, reduce leaf surface humidity, and reduce the occurrence of disease. Scientifically use chemical control. In the early stage of the disease, spray Bordeaux mixture at 1:2:200, and afterward spray 50% carbendazim wettable powder 1000 times solution or 50% benomyl wettable powder 1000-1500 times solution. In severely affected areas, when seedlings leave the nursery, soak and disinfect with 1000 times potassium permanganate solution.

Introduction to Osmanthus Varieties

After long-term planting, natural hybridization, and artificial selection, osmanthus has produced many cultivated varieties. Through further investigation and sorting, 32 osmanthus varieties have been preliminarily determined.
By flower color, there are Jin Gui, Yin Gui, and Dan Gui; by leaf type, there are Liuye Gui, Jinshan Gui, Dishui Huang, Kuihuaye, and Chaibing Huang; by flowering period, there are August Gui, Four-Season Gui, Yueyue Jia, etc. [7] China still has no unified variety classification, and by convention osmanthus is divided into the following four variety types: Jin Gui, Yin Gui, Dan Gui, and Four-Season Gui.

Four-Season Gui variety group: The plant is relatively short and has many tillers. The floral fragrance is not as rich as Yin Gui, Jin Gui, or Dan Gui. It blooms multiple times or continuously every year, with lemon-yellow or light yellow flowers. Varieties include large-leaf Four-Season Gui and small-leaf Four-Season Gui. It blooms in all four seasons, with varieties such as "Yueyue Gui," "Rixiang Gui," "Daye Fodingzhu," and "Chieye Four-Season Gui."
Yin Gui variety group: Blooms in autumn, with pure white, milky white, yellow-white, or light yellow flowers. Varieties include broad-leaf seed Yin Gui, willow-leaf Yin Gui, hard-leaf Yin Gui, "Zi Yin Gui," "Jiulong Gui," "Early Yin Gui," "Late Yin Gui," "Baijie," "Pure White Yin Gui," "Qingshan Yin Gui," and other varieties.
Jin Gui variety group: Blooms in autumn, with flowers from lemon yellow to light golden yellow. Varieties include "Dahua Jin Gui," "Daye Huang," "Huangchuan Jin Gui," "Wan Jin Gui," "Yuanye Jin Gui," Xianning Wan Gui, Qiu Gui, Yuanbian Jin Gui, Liuye Su Gui, Jinshi Gui, Boye Jin Gui, and other varieties.
Dan Gui variety group: Blooms in autumn, with relatively deep flower colors, flowers orange, orange-yellow, orange-red to vermilion. Varieties include "Zhusha Dan Gui," "Daye Dan Gui," "Xiaoye Dan Gui," "Chi Dan Gui," and other varieties.

Distribution Area of Osmanthus

Landscape osmanthus is native to the eastern section of the Himalayas in southwest China, and is also distributed in India, Nepal, and Cambodia. In southwestern China, Sichuan, southern Shaanxi, Yunnan, Guangxi, Guangdong, Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi, Anhui, Henan, and other places, wild osmanthus grows, and it is now widely planted in the Huai River Basin and areas to the south. Its suitable growing area can reach the lower reaches of the Yellow River in the north and Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, and other places in the south.
This region has good water and heat conditions and suitable precipitation. The soil is mostly yellow-brown soil or yellow-cinnamon soil, and the vegetation is mainly of the subtropical broad-leaved forest type. Nurtured and influenced by the above conditions, osmanthus grows well, and several nationally famous osmanthus commodity production bases have been formed, including Lu'an in Anhui, Xianning in Hubei, Taoyuan in Hunan, Suzhou in Jiangsu, Guilin in Guangxi, Wuhan in Hubei, Hangzhou in Zhejiang, and Chengdu in Sichuan. And Hangzhou's city flower is precisely osmanthus.

Dietary Therapy or Medicinal Value of Osmanthus
The medical information and healthy food therapy information on Huahua Network is for reference only and cannot be used as a basis for diagnosis or medical treatment. Any health problems should be consulted with professional medical personnel, and the treatment of any disease should follow a doctor's advice.
The ultimate flower-protecting mission: to love yourself, start from reality and follow your doctor's advice. For illness, do not be careless, do not delay, do not give up hope, face it bravely, use love to warm the silent world, and use your heart to care for the flower field within.

Medicinal Value Medicinal Material Introduction: Oleaceae, evergreen tree. The flowers are pale yellowish-white, fragrant, used to extract aromatic oil and make osmanthus concrete, can be used in food and cosmetics, can make cakes and candies, and can be used to brew wine. Osmanthus tastes pungent and can be used as medicine.
Source: The plant osmanthus of the genus Osmanthus in the family Oleaceae, with flowers, fruits and roots used as medicine. Flowers are collected in autumn; fruits in spring; roots in all four seasons, and each is dried separately.
Related Medicinal Materials: Green-backed osmanthus, Ma osmanthus, mountain osmanthus, osmanthus dew, osmanthus seeds.
Nature, Flavor and Meridian Entry: Flower: pungent, warm. Fruit: pungent, sweet, warm. Root: sweet, slightly astringent, neutral.
Functions and Indications：
Flower: disperses cold and breaks stagnation, transforms phlegm and stops cough. Used for toothache, cough and wheezing with excessive phlegm, amenorrhea and abdominal pain.
Fruit: warms the stomach, calms the liver, disperses cold. Used for deficiency-cold stomach pain.
Root: dispels wind-dampness, disperses cold. Used for wind-dampness pain of the muscles and bones, lower back pain, and toothache due to kidney deficiency.
Practical Supplementary Prescriptions：
Prescription 1
[Formula]: 1 gram of dried osmanthus, 2 grams of tea leaves.
[Preparation]: Put the dried osmanthus and tea leaves into a cup, pour boiling water over them and steep for 6 minutes, then it is ready to drink.
[Usage]: Drink 1 cup each morning and evening.
[Effects]: Strengthens muscles and nourishes the skin, invigorates blood and moistens the throat.
[Application]: Suitable for dry skin, hoarse voice, toothache and other conditions.

Prescription 2
[Materials]: Several osmanthus flowers
[Seasonings]: 1 small teaspoon of refined salt, 1 small teaspoon of rock sugar
[Method]:
1. Wash the osmanthus repeatedly with salt water and drain well;
2. Put the osmanthus into a cup, pour in boiling water, add rock sugar, cover the cup with a lid, and let it steep for about three minutes; when the lid is lifted, the fragrance wafts out.
[Effects]: Can transform phlegm and dissipate stagnation, and treat cough.

Effects of Osmanthus Wine：
The ancients believed that osmanthus was the chief of a hundred medicines, so wine brewed with osmanthus could achieve the effect of "drinking it brings a lifespan of a thousand years." For example, in the Han Dynasty, osmanthus wine was a fine product used by people to worship gods and ancestors. After the sacrifice was completed, the younger generation offered osmanthus wine to their elders, and after the elders drank it, it symbolized prolonging life and increasing longevity.
This wine is sweet, fragrant and mellow, and has the effects of stimulating the appetite, refreshing the mind, strengthening the spleen and tonifying deficiency. Osmanthus wine is especially suitable for women to drink, and has been praised as the "women's happiness wine." Traditional Chinese medicine has theoretical practice of flower therapy, and osmanthus wine is a typical example. [16] Effects of Osmanthus Tea: Osmanthus tea can nourish the face and beautify, soothe the throat, improve symptoms of excessive phlegm and cough, treat duodenal ulcers, urticaria, cold stomach and stomach pain, bad breath, and unclear vision.

Edible Value Glutinous Rice Osmanthus Lotus Root: Honey-Glazed Glutinous Rice Osmanthus Lotus Root Ingredients: 800 grams of lotus root, 200 grams of glutinous rice, 20 grams of lotus leaf, 100 grams of white granulated sugar, 40 grams of sugared osmanthus
1. Rinse the glutinous rice clean and soak it in warm water for about 1 hour
2. Wash the lotus root clean and cut it apart at the nodes
3. Cut off one end of the lotus root to expose the holes, fill in the soaked glutinous rice, then cover it back with the cut lotus root node, and secure it with bamboo skewers
4. Pour clean water into a pot, add the lotus root (with the rice-filled opening facing up), and bring to a boil over high heat
5. Cover with clean lotus leaves, put on the lid, turn to low heat and simmer for about two hours, then remove from the heat
6. Take out the lotus root and let it cool, peel it, cut it into slices 0.8 cm thick, and arrange them overlapping on a plate
7. Place the pot over high heat, add clean water and bring to a boil, add white sugar and cook until dissolved, skim off the foam, and turn to low heat
8. When the sugar syrup has cooked until thick and sticky, add osmanthus syrup and stir evenly, then remove from the heat and let cool
9. Pour the sugar syrup over the glutinous rice lotus root and it is done.

Osmanthus Huanglin Pastry：
Ingredients: 300 grams of wheat flour, 100 grams of osmanthus, 150 grams of egg white, 150 grams of black sesame, 20 grams of cornstarch, making Osmanthus Huanglin Pastry (3 pieces), 150 grams of lard (rendered), 100 grams of white granulated sugar
1. After sifting the flour, use 200 grams of flour and add 90 grams of lard, knead into a shortcrust pastry dough
2. Add 60 grams of lard to 300 grams of flour, and knead with an appropriate amount of clean water into a water-oil dough
3. Divide the shortcrust dough and the water-oil dough separately into strips and then into sections, and roll them with a rolling pin into ox-tongue shapes
4. Roll them down from the top and then fold into three folds, roll into wrappers, wrap in osmanthus filling, and shape into cakes
5. Put them into a baking tray, brush the surface with egg liquid, and bake in the oven until cooked.

Key Points for Making Osmanthus Huanglin Pastry:
1. When baking this pastry, temperature control must be well managed, otherwise problems such as cracks and poor smoothness of the pastry surface are likely to appear
2. Method for making osmanthus filling: Put sesame, white sugar and lard in a container, mix and stir well, add an appropriate amount of dry starch while stirring, and finally add osmanthus and mix well to make the osmanthus filling.

Method for Making Osmanthus Cake:
Raw Material Formula: 16 kg of first-grade Sichuan white sugar, 4 kg of refined sugar, 4 kg of glutinous rice flour, 4 kg of cooked oil, 2.5 kg of honeyed osmanthus, 20 kg of cooked flour. Production Method
1. Make cooked flour: Put the flour into a steaming basket and steam until cooked (20 minutes), take it out, let it cool, and grind it fine with a pulverizer. This is cooked flour.
2. Make cake flour: Wash the glutinous rice with warm water at 50-60°C for 4-5 minutes, scoop it out and spread it on a winnowing basket to drain off the water. The next day, stir-fry it with river sand (river sand treated with rapeseed oil) until puffed (it must not be stir-fried yellow), then grind it into powder with an electric mill; this is cake flour (also called male powder). Then spread the coffee osmanthus cake on a winnowing basket and expose it for 2-3 days, until the powder can be pinched into a ball by hand without falling apart.
3. Make refined sugar: For every 50 kg of white sugar, add 2-2.5 kg of maltose and 7.5 kg of water, bring to a boil, then add 1 kg of melted oil and cook until about 120°C. When a drop of the sugar liquid put into water can form a block, scoop it out and put it into an ice pot, stirring until it turns to sand, becoming refined sugar.
4. Make the filling: According to the ingredients, mix the white sugar, cooked flour, cooked oil, cake flour and honeyed osmanthus evenly, sift to remove impurities, and the filling is done.
5. Panning and shaping: Use wooden frames. First take 1/5 of the mixed base and surface material and put it into the frame, spread it into a thin layer as the base, put the filling in the middle, then cover with 4/5 of the base and surface material as the cake surface layer, roll flat, press tightly, cut into rectangular strips with a thin knife, and then package.
Food Characteristics: Rectangular strips, complete in shape, uniform in thickness.
Color: Yellow and white clearly distinct, no spots, no impurities.
Texture: Moist and soft, delicate and melting in the mouth, not coarse, without sugar grains.
Taste: Sweet and delicious, with a rich, fresh fragrance of osmanthus.

Roasted Osmanthus Sausage:
Ingredients: 300 grams of fatty pork, 400 grams of lean pork, 100 grams of pig small intestine, 5 grams of soy sauce, 5 grams of white granulated sugar, 5 grams of salt, 4 grams of five-spice powder, 3 grams of white liquor
1. Wash the fatty pork and lean pork, wipe dry with a cloth and cut into granules, sprinkle in a small amount of salt and mix well, and marinate for about 10 minutes.
2. Wash the pig intestine with warm water and soak until soft.
3. Put light soy sauce, granulated sugar, and five-spice powder (it can be omitted if you do not like five-spice powder) into the fully marinated chopped pork and mix well. Mix an appropriate amount of peach-red powder with one teaspoon of water, marinate with the seasonings for about 10 minutes, then add and mix well.
4. After the fully marinated chopped pork is mixed with peach-red powder, proceed with the work of stuffing it into the casing. Take out the soaked intestine, pour off the water in which the intestine was soaked, put the drained intestine back into a container, tie one end of the intestine tightly with thin string, and fit the other end onto a funnel for making sausages, also tying it tightly with thin string. Prepare a sewing needle about 7 cm long. When the intestine expands, use the sewing needle to pierce holes around the lowest position where air is trapped, so that the air can escape. As the pork is pressed in, it will not burst. When the work of stuffing the pork into the intestine is completed, remove the funnel and tie the opening tightly with thin string.
5. Use a roasting clamp made of wire mesh, clamp the prepared meat sausage in a wrapped manner and place it about 24 cm above glowing red charcoal to roast, turning and moving it until a fragrant aroma is released.
6. If the prepared meat sausage is too long, it can be cut off and roasted in 2 or 3 batches. The cut opening should immediately be tied tightly with thin string to prevent the meat granules from coming out. If it is not roasted in long strips, it can be changed to the form of sausages about 17 cm long.

Carving Material
The wood of the osmanthus tree is dense in texture, beautiful in grain, not easy to crack, and smooth when planed, making it a good carving material.

Landscape Uses of Osmanthus Landscape Uses
Osmanthus has a wide range of landscape uses. With the continuous progress of science today, seedlings originally produced in the south have been introduced to the north and are widely distributed in Jiangsu, Henan, Shandong, Beijing, Tianjin, Dalian, Shanxi and other places. Osmanthus has good greening effects and fast results, and can play a good role in the year it is planted. However, when planted in the north, its cold resistance is generally only moderate, and special protection is needed in winter for it to survive the winter safely.
Osmanthus is evergreen all year round, with luxuriant branches and leaves, blooms in autumn, and is filled with fragrance, so it can be called "dominating the three autumns and overpowering all flowers." It is commonly used in gardens, often as a landscape tree, planted alone, in pairs, or in clumps and groves. In China's classical gardens, osmanthus is often combined with buildings, mountains and stones, with clustered shrub-type plants planted near pavilions, terraces, towers and chambers. Old-style courtyards often use paired planting, anciently called "double osmanthus in the courtyard" or "double osmanthus leaving fragrance." Planting osmanthus trees on the four sides of a residence or in front of a window can achieve the effect of "golden wind sending fragrance." On campuses, for the meaning of "plucking osmanthus in the moon palace," osmanthus is also planted in large quantities. Osmanthus has a certain resistance to harmful gases such as sulfur dioxide and hydrogen fluoride, and is also a good flowering tree for greening in industrial and mining areas.
Osmanthus has a striking fragrance and contains a variety of aromatic substances, and can be used for food or for extracting fragrances. China has formed concentrated osmanthus-growing regions such as Xianning in Hubei, Taoyuan in Hunan, Lu'an in Anhui, Guilin in Guangxi, Zunyi in Guizhou, and Wuhan in Hubei.

Appreciating Osmanthus in Jiangcheng
Osmanthus in some scenic spots in Wuhan: 3458 plants at Hankou Jiangtan, 153 plants in Baibuting Garden, 24 plants on Huangpu Road, 63 plants in Hanjiang Green Space. Greening in Jiangcheng has upgraded from the past stage of adding greenery and flowers to the stage of adding fragrance, increasing the number of fragrant plants in newly built and renovated public green spaces to enhance the city's quality. In Baibuting Community, 473 osmanthus trees were planted in the central square some years ago, which were very popular with residents. In recent years, more have been replanted continuously, and now there are already over a thousand, and around the Mid-Autumn Festival the fragrance of osmanthus drifts far and wide, just like the famous osmanthus garden at Wuhan University, known as an ivory tower. Wuhan has also specially launched a Wuhan flower-viewing map to make it convenient for tourists to appreciate osmanthus, cherry blossoms, plum blossoms and various other flowers and trees.
Xinzhou District of Wuhan currently has an osmanthus base of 13,000 mu, mainly distributed in Cangbu, with 34 bases, 11 of which are over 500 mu. The largest osmanthus garden has an area of nearly 4,000 mu, and this is also the largest osmanthus garden in the country, along with the largest Dan gui garden in Central China, with an area of 1,000 mu. First, it has the most osmanthus varieties. There are 157 varieties, the most in the country. Second, there are many rare osmanthus varieties, among which the early red Dan gui covers an area of 1,000 mu and is the largest Dan gui garden in Central China. Third, it has the largest osmanthus breeding base area, with 4 million osmanthus seedlings already being bred, ranking first in Central China.
According to incomplete statistics, in the public green spaces of Wuhan's central urban area managed by the landscaping department alone, 33,200 osmanthus trees are planted, of which 12,300 are distributed in 63 city parks. This means that osmanthus trees outside the parks account for more than half. On East Lake Moshan alone there are over a hundred mu of osmanthus forest, with more than 10,000 trees. Wuhan has more than 120 species of greening trees totaling 754,000 trees, and osmanthus trees account for less than 5%. But the head of Wuhan's landscaping department said that the built-up area of the three towns of Wuhan is several times larger than the urban area of Xianning, with an average of more than 70 osmanthus trees per square kilometer. The number of osmanthus trees has already surpassed the old-brand "hometown of osmanthus," and it has transformed into a "capital of osmanthus." Careful citizens have also found that the osmanthus trees on the streets of the three towns include not only Dan gui, Jin gui, Yin gui and other varieties, but are also divided by tree shape into single-trunk osmanthus, clustered osmanthus and so on. Different osmanthus varieties have different flowering periods, making the golden autumn fragrance of osmanthus in Jiangcheng last for more than a month.

Osmanthus Park
Suzhou Osmanthus Park Suzhou Osmanthus Park was completed in October 1998, covering an area of 16.5 hectares. It is located in the southeast corner of the ancient city of Suzhou, adjacent to the thriving industrial park. To the east it embraces the ancient canal, and to the south it stretches for several li, surrounded by the lush city walls of Gusu and the green waters of the Grand Canal. It is one of the key landscapes in the construction of Suzhou's ancient city ring scenery belt. Along the southern part of the canal are built the ancient city's "Snake Gate" and the 218-meter-long Gusu land-and-water city tower. A two-kilometer-long winding path runs along the canal through dense willow-shaded green islands and woods. The lawns are broad and naturally comfortable, fully displaying the characteristics of a Jiangnan water town city, and it is the best place for citizens to relax, stroll and enjoy the scenery.
Osmanthus Park is named after Suzhou's city flower, "osmanthus." In the park, the flowering shrubs are mainly evergreen plants, with more than 260 varieties, including many rare and precious tree species. It is especially characterized by osmanthus species. The richness of osmanthus varieties and the large quantity in the park rank first in the country. It is the specialized garden with the largest collection and planting quantity of osmanthus varieties in China. In order to build a specialized garden of osmanthus varieties and support the work of "international registration authority for osmanthus cultivars," the park organized people to go south to Shanghai, Hangzhou, eastern Zhejiang and western Zhejiang, and travel far to more than a dozen counties in southeastern Sichuan, climbing mountains and crossing waters, to search for some well-known varieties that had long been heard of but never seen, such as Jiulong gui, Yichuanhong and Xue gui. Apart from a certain amount preserved in Osmanthus Park, these varieties are rarely seen elsewhere. According to records by osmanthus classification experts Xiang Qibai and Liu Yulian, there are 62 osmanthus varieties in China, of which 50 are collected in Osmanthus Park, belonging to the two major categories of four-season osmanthus and autumn osmanthus, and the four cultivar groups of Sijigui, Yingui, Jingui and Dangui.

Home Placement
1. Osmanthus can fill your home with poetry [23]. "Accompanying a beauty, fragrance filling the world, reputation filling the world, noble and beautiful, auspicious" is the flower language of osmanthus. Liu Yuxi wrote, "Do not envy the peaches and plums of the three springs; osmanthus bears fruit and flourishes toward autumn." Su Shi wrote, "River clouds spread vast and wet the osmanthus; plum rain rustles and the lychees are so." There is also Li Qingzhao's "Partridge Sky: Osmanthus": "Why need light green or deep red? It is naturally first-rate among flowers." The Qing dynasty writer Zhang Yun'ao's quatrain "Tasting Osmanthus": "In August at West Lake there is enough for a pure outing; where does fragrance reach the nose in quiet appreciation? Beside Manjuelong golden grains are everywhere; heaven's wind blows them down over ten thousand mountains in autumn." Although there are many verses praising osmanthus, there are also quite a few that touch the scene and stir sorrow, such as Wang Jian of the Tang dynasty in "Looking at the Moon on the Night of the Fifteenth": "In the courtyard the ground is white, crows roost in the trees; cold dew silently wets the osmanthus. Tonight the bright moon is gazed at by all; I wonder where the autumn longing falls." It can be seen that osmanthus is a plant full of emotion.
2. Osmanthus can green your home and make you feel there is nothing to criticize. We know that osmanthus can release a light yet not vulgar fresh fragrance, a scent that is rich but will not irritate everyone's sense of smell. Many people choose it when visiting the sick because it can purify the air in a hospital room. The same is true at home. If osmanthus is kept at home for a long time, it can adsorb odors in the home over the long term, and through photosynthesis release clean oxygen and waves of subtle fragrance.

Cultural Background of Osmanthus Cultivation History
China has a long history of osmanthus cultivation. The earliest mention of osmanthus in literature is in the "Classic of Mountains and Seas: Classic of the Southern Mountains" from the old Warring States period (475-221 BCE), which says, "The mountain of Zhaoyao has many osmanthus." Qu Yuan (340-278 BCE) in "Chu Ci: Nine Songs" also recorded: "We raise the Northern Dipper to pour osmanthus wine; with magnolia chariots and osmanthus banners." From the Han dynasty to the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties period, osmanthus had already become a precious flowering plant and a high-grade tribute. In the early Han dynasty it was introduced and planted in imperial palaces and gardens, and succeeded. Since the Tang and Song dynasties, osmanthus cultivation began to flourish. Tang dynasty literati planted osmanthus very commonly, and chanting about osmanthus became a trend. In Song Zhiwen's poem "Lingyin Temple" there is the famous line "Osmanthus seeds fall in the moon; heavenly fragrance drifts beyond the clouds," so later generations also called osmanthus "heavenly fragrance." After the Tang and Song dynasties, osmanthus was widely used in courtyard cultivation for ornamental appreciation. In Ni Zan's poem "Osmanthus" from the Yuan dynasty there is the line "Osmanthus keeps the evening color; curtain shadows pale the autumn light," showing the situation of planting osmanthus in front of windows. Folk cultivation of osmanthus began in the Song dynasty and flourished in the early Ming dynasty. China's five major osmanthus-producing areas in history were all formed during this period.
China's osmanthus was introduced to Britain via Guangzhou and India in 1771, and thereafter developed rapidly in Britain. Today it is cultivated in many countries in Europe and America as well as in various Southeast Asian countries, and grows best in the countries along the Mediterranean coast.

Many Alternative Names
Osmanthus has many alternative names: because its leaves resemble a jade tablet it is called "gui"; because its texture is like rhinoceros horn it is also called muxi; because it is elegant and noble, with fragrance drifting all around, it is called "immortal friend"; osmanthus is also called "immortal tree" and "moon elder among flowers." Osmanthus usually grows on rocky ridges, so it is also called "rock gui"; when osmanthus blooms, its strong fragrance travels far, and its aroma has the characteristic of being both clear and rich: clear enough to cleanse, rich enough to travel far, hence the elegant name "nine-li fragrance"; its yellow flowers are as fine as millet, so it also has the name "golden millet"; osmanthus is "immortal guest"; it blooms in autumn, and in old belief the god of autumn governs the west, so it is also called "western fragrance" or "autumn fragrance"; the osmanthus tree is a symbol of nobility, chastity, honor, friendship and auspiciousness, and those who succeed in official career and rise rapidly are said to "pluck osmanthus."

Legend of Osmanthus
(1) A plague broke out in Xianning, and about one third of the people died. People tried various folk remedies but none worked. At the foot of Guabang Mountain there was a brave, honest and filial young man named Wu Gang. His mother had also fallen ill and could not leave her sickbed, and the young man went up the mountain every day to gather medicine to save his mother. One day, Guanyin, returning from a tour in the east and hurrying back to the Western Heaven to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, passed by and saw the young man gathering medicine on a cliff, and was deeply moved. At night she appeared to him in a dream and said that in the moon palace there was a tree called muxi, also called osmanthus, bearing a kind of small golden flower, and steeping it in water and drinking it could cure this plague; on Guabang Mountain, by the fifteenth day of the eighth month, there would be a heavenly ladder by which one could go to the moon palace to pick it. That night happened to be the twelfth day of the eighth month, and there were still three days until the Mid-Autumn Festival on the fifteenth. But to reach the top of Guabang Mountain one had to cross seven deep ravines and climb seven sheer cliffs and overhanging rocks. It would take at least seven days and seven nights, but time waited for no one. If he missed the osmanthus's once-a-year flowering period, he would have to wait another year. To make a long story short, this Wu Gang went through untold hardships and finally reached the top of Guabang Mountain on the night of the fifteenth day of the eighth month, just in time for the heavenly ladder leading to the moon palace. The eighth month was precisely the season when osmanthus fragrance drifted, with heavenly fragrance floating beyond the clouds. Following the fragrance, Wu Gang came to the osmanthus tree, but if he picked too much he could not carry it, so he thought of a way: he shook the osmanthus tree, letting the osmanthus flowers fall one after another into the river below Guabang Mountain. At once the river surface was filled with a striking fresh fragrance, and the river water was dyed golden yellow. People drank this river water and were completely cured of the plague. So people named this river Jinshui. Later, they added three dots of water beside the character "jin" and named it "Gan River." That night was precisely the great gathering of the immortals of the heavenly palace on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, at which they would also admire the moon and eat mooncakes. At this time the fragrance of osmanthus rushed up to the heavens and alarmed the immortals, so they sent an official to investigate. When the official looked at the moon palace, he saw that all the osmanthus on the moon palace's sacred tree, the treasure that stabilizes the palace, had disappeared and had all fallen into the human world's "Gan River," so he reported it to the Jade Emperor. When the Jade Emperor heard this he was furious. You should know that the Jade Emperor liked eating mooncakes made with moon osmanthus the most. With the whole tree's osmanthus gone, he could not eat mooncakes, so he sent heavenly soldiers and generals to arrest Wu Gang. After Wu Gang was captured, he told the Jade Emperor everything that had happened that night in full detail. After hearing it, the Jade Emperor could not say much either, and in his heart admired this young man; but Wu Gang had after all violated heavenly rules, and if he were not punished, the Jade Emperor's prestige could not be established. He asked Wu Gang what request he had, and Wu Gang said he wanted to bring the osmanthus tree to the human world to save the suffering. So the Jade Emperor thought of an idea that could both punish Wu Gang and agree to his request. He said, as long as you chop down the osmanthus, you can take it away. So Wu Gang found a big axe and began chopping, wanting to quickly cut down the big tree. The Jade Emperor cast a spell, so Wu Gang chopped year after year, month after month, for thousands of years. Seeing that he could not chop the tree down and longing for home and his mother, Wu Gang dropped an osmanthus branch onto Guabang Mountain every Mid-Autumn night to express his homesickness. Year after year, Guabang Mountain became covered with osmanthus, and the villagers used this osmanthus to make tea, and Xianning had no more disasters. Chang'e, from the same village as Wu Gang, had grown up with him as childhood sweethearts. Ever since Wu Gang went to the moon palace, she had always cared for Wu Gang's old mother, until the old woman passed away. Wu Gang and Chang'e were separated between heaven and the human world, and their mutual longing grew with each day. Wu Gang could not return because he could not chop down the osmanthus tree, and Chang'e, separated by heaven and earth, could not go to meet her Wu lang. Finally one day, the Queen Mother of the West took her seven daughters to bathe at the Mingshui Spring below Guabang Mountain. Chang'e saw this, secretly took the seven fairy maidens' immortal pill for returning to heaven, took it home and ate it, and with her jade rabbit went up to heaven to meet Wu Gang. These seven fairy maidens, without the immortal pill, could not return to the heavenly court, and could only wait for their elder sisters to come bathing again three days later and bring it to them before they could go up to heaven. You should know that one day in heaven is one year in the human world. During these three years, the seventh fairy maiden met Dong Yong.
(2) Legend says that in ancient times, at the foot of Liangying Mountain, there lived a widow who sold mountain grape wine. She was generous and kind-hearted, and the wine she brewed was mellow and sweet. People respected her and called her Fairy Wine Madam. One winter, the weather was freezing cold. Early in the morning, as soon as Fairy Wine Madam opened the gate, she suddenly saw a man lying outside the door, thin as a stick and barely clothed, who looked like a beggar. Fairy Wine Madam felt that the man was still breathing, so she carried him back home, first gave him hot soup, then fed him half a cup of wine. The man slowly revived and said excitedly, "Thank you, madam, for saving my life. I am a paralyzed person. If I go out, I will either freeze to death or starve to death. Please be kind and let me stay a few more days." Fairy Wine Madam was troubled. As the saying goes, "Before a widow's door there is much gossip." If such a man lived in her home, others would talk. But then she thought again, she could not just watch him freeze and starve to death. Finally she nodded and agreed to let him stay temporarily. As expected, gossip about Fairy Wine Madam quickly spread, everyone became distant from her, and fewer and fewer people came to the wine shop to buy wine day by day. But Fairy Wine Madam endured the pain and took care of the man with all her heart. Later, when no one came to buy wine and she truly could not keep going, the man left without saying goodbye, and no one knew where he went. Fairy Wine Madam was worried, and searched everywhere. On a hillside she met a white-haired old man carrying a load of dry firewood and walking with difficulty. Just as Fairy Wine Madam was about to help, the old man suddenly fell, and the dry firewood scattered all over the ground. The old man closed his eyes, his lips trembling, weakly calling, "Water, water..." Where could there be water on the barren hillside? Fairy Wine Madam bit through her middle finger, and at once fresh blood flowed out. She put her finger to the old man's mouth, and the old man suddenly disappeared. In a clear breeze, a yellow cloth bag flew down from the sky, filled with many small yellow paper packets, and there was also a yellow paper note on which was written: The moon palace grants osmanthus seeds, rewarding kind households. Where fortune is high, the osmanthus tree is green; where longevity is high, the tree is full of flowers. Pick the flowers to brew osmanthus wine, first offer it to father and mother. Wu Gang helps the good, and sends disasters to the treacherous and slippery. Only then did Fairy Wine Madam understand that the paralyzed man and the firewood-carrying old man were both transformations of Wu Gang. When this matter spread, people from near and far all came to ask for osmanthus seeds. Good people planted the osmanthus seeds, and they quickly grew into osmanthus trees and bloomed with osmanthus, filling the courtyard with sweetness and infinite glory. For those with bad intentions, the osmanthus seeds they planted simply would not take root and sprout, making them feel ashamed, and from then on they reformed and turned toward goodness. Everyone was very grateful to Fairy Wine Madam. It was her good deeds that moved the great immortal Wu Gang, who managed the osmanthus trees in the moon palace, to spread osmanthus seed wine to the human world, and from then on the human world had osmanthus and osmanthus wine.

Cultural Heritage
The eighth lunar month was called the osmanthus month in ancient times. This month is the best period for appreciating osmanthus, and also the best month for admiring the moon. China's osmanthus and the Mid-Autumn bright moon have been linked with the cultural life of our people since ancient times. Many poets wrote poems and lyrics to depict and praise it, and even deified it. Moon palace mythological series such as Chang'e flying to the moon and Wu Gang chopping the osmanthus, the palace in the moon, and the fairy realm in the palace have become widely praised tales through the ages, and it is precisely osmanthus that links them together. The osmanthus tree even became an "immortal tree." Han Zicang of the Song dynasty wrote in a poem: "In the moon there was once a guest who shared the seeds; in the world no flower dares compete in fragrance." Li Qingzhao called the osmanthus tree "naturally first-rate among flowers." In modern times, through mass selection, the osmanthus tree rose to a place among the top 10 famous flowers.
Osmanthus has many names. Because its leaf veins are shaped like a jade tablet, it is called "gui"; because its material is dense and its grain resembles rhinoceros horn, it is called "muxi"; because it naturally grows among clustered rocky ridges, it is called "rock gui"; because when it blooms its fragrance is striking and drifts for several li, it is also called "seven-li fragrance" and "nine-li fragrance."
Osmanthus belongs to the genus Osmanthus in the family Oleaceae. It is native to southwestern, southern and eastern China. Wild resources now exist in Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Hubei, Zhejiang and other places, and it is cultivated most intensively in cities such as Chengdu, Wuhan, Nanjing, Guilin, Hangzhou and Suzhou. It is commonly planted throughout areas south of the Huai River basin to the lower reaches of the Yellow River. In areas north of the Huai River, it is difficult for osmanthus to overwinter in the open ground, so pot cultivation is generally used, moving it into a greenhouse or cold cellar in winter to overwinter and ensure normal growth.
Osmanthus is cultivated in Japan and India. Since China's osmanthus was introduced to Britain via Guangzhou and India in 1771, it then expanded rapidly. Today it is commonly cultivated in many countries in Europe and America as well as in various Southeast Asian countries, becoming an important fragrant flowering plant.
Some osmanthus plants bear fruit, and some do not. Generally the drupe matures in April-May of the following year. When sown, it generally takes 5-6 years to bloom. Asexual propagation by branch cuttings, grafting and layering can bloom in the same year.
A Song dynasty record says: "When the moon is about to be full, the flowers are just right; after the flowers are about to fade, the moon also wanes. One should know that things in heaven and the human world alike all receive the clear autumn at the same time." This points out the basic pattern of its flowering: that is, every year when the moon is full on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, osmanthus blooms in abundance, and half a month later the flowers have withered and the moon has also waned.
Osmanthus likes warmth and has strong stress resistance. It tolerates both high temperatures and relatively low temperatures, and can overwinter in the open ground in areas south of the Qinling Mountains and the Huai River in China.
Osmanthus relatively likes sunlight and can also tolerate shade. Under full sunlight its branches and leaves grow luxuriantly and it blooms densely; in shady places its branches and leaves grow sparsely and the flowers are few. If potted indoors in the north, special attention must be paid to having sufficient light to favor growth and the formation of flower buds.
The ancients recorded a great deal about the weather conditions for osmanthus flowering. Wang Jian of the Tang dynasty wrote in "Looking at the Moon on the Night of the Fifteenth": "Cold dew silently wets the osmanthus"; Liu Zongyuan wrote, "Dense dew on the osmanthus of the front mountain"; Bai Juyi wrote, "Heaven is about to steam the cold fragrance with autumn air; the moon borrows golden waves to pick the yellow seeds"; Lu You of the Song dynasty wrote: "Heavy dew wets the fragrance on the quiet path at dawn; the slanting sun warms the stamens, beautiful at the small window." In the poems, "cold dew" and "dense dew" indicate that the flowering weather should be cool in the morning and evening; "warming and steaming" indicate that the weather will also once again show relatively high temperatures. This kind of weather, cool in the morning and evening and hot during the day, is beneficial both to the accumulation of nutrients in the osmanthus tree and to the formation of dew, and osmanthus flowering then accelerates. People in Suzhou call this "muxi steaming." Around the Mid-Autumn Festival the weather suddenly becomes hot, even like summer, and once osmanthus is steamed and heated, it blooms profusely and abundantly. Osmanthus flowering requires both a certain humidity and a certain temperature difference.
Because osmanthus can be enjoyed for its flowers and also smelled for its fragrance, it is often chosen in modern urban landscaping. Osmanthus also has rich cultural meaning. "Among the beautiful things, the osmanthus of Zhaoyao," osmanthus has always been a symbol of beautiful and elegant things in the world. "In August osmanthus blooms everywhere; when osmanthus blooms, happiness comes." Through the ages, people have also regarded osmanthus as an auspicious sign. And generally, passing the imperial examination and succeeding in official career is also called "plucking osmanthus," while those who obtain special honor are praised as having a "laurel wreath."

City Flower and City Tree Xianning Xianning City
Osmanthus cultivation has a long history. According to historical records, more than 2,300 years ago during the Warring States period, the poet Qu Yuan passed through Xianning and wrote the beautiful lines "Libations of osmanthus wine and pepper broth" and "Abundantly I ride in an osmanthus boat." Five hundred years ago, there was already a folk tradition of brewing fine osmanthus wine.
A small number of thousand-year-old ancient osmanthus trees still exist in Xian'an. Xianning osmanthus ranks first in the country in six aspects: planting area, number of varieties, number of ancient osmanthus trees, osmanthus output, osmanthus quality and osmanthus seedlings. The city has consistently maintained a leading position nationwide in five main resource indicators, including the number of osmanthus varieties, number of ancient trees, base area, fresh osmanthus output and osmanthus quality. Osmanthus is distributed across 45 townships in 6 counties and urban districts of the city, with the four major cultivar groups of Jingui, Yingui, Dangui and Sijigui, and nearly thirty osmanthus varieties. There are 1.5 million existing osmanthus trees with a ground diameter of more than 5 cm, equivalent to an area of more than 50,000 mu. In particular, the city has 2,000 ancient osmanthus trees over a hundred years old, accounting for 91% of the country's 2,200.
In 1963 and 1983, the state named Xianning the "hometown of osmanthus" on two occasions; in 2000, the state once again named Xian'an District of Xianning City as the only "hometown of Chinese osmanthus." With indisputable resource advantages, Xianning City has successively won numerous national honors. According to a special survey on osmanthus, compared with 1999, the osmanthus area, output, output value, tax revenue and net income provided to farmers all increased considerably, and the osmanthus industry achieved substantial development. Xian'an District was listed by the State Forestry Administration as a national-level seedling and flower base. Xianning osmanthus products have been exported to more than 10 countries and regions including Japan, the United States, Europe and Southeast Asia. "Rose fragrance, jasmine fragrance, cannot compare with Jiangnan osmanthus fragrance." The rich osmanthus customs have bred a Guixiang culture with southern Hubei characteristics. A "Legend of Tianxiang Osmanthus" performs the legendary story of osmanthus, and a song "Jiangnan Osmanthus Fragrance" has made Xianning's osmanthus fragrance spread across the north and south of the Yangtze River.

Lu'an
The background place of the TV drama "August Osmanthus Blooms Everywhere," Lu'an Zhou, is today's Lu'an, and the instructors of the New Fourth Army South Henan Cadre Training Class entered Lu'an Zhou and served as political commissars in the guerrilla detachment of Huoying Mountain. Huoying Mountain here is Huoshan County in Lu'an. Lu'an is also called Lu'an, and because the pronunciation is the same, it is often written as Lu'an. One of China's largest osmanthus-producing areas and concentrated production areas. "August Osmanthus Blooms Everywhere" was adapted from the tune of the Dabie Mountain folk song "Eight Sections of Brocade," and has been sung to this day without losing popularity. There are multiple versions of its birthplace. Since the 1980s, the birthplace of "August Osmanthus Blooms Everywhere" has sparked disputes among various places, including claims from Jiangxi, Sichuan, Hubei, Anhui and Henan.

Xinyang
"August Osmanthus Blooms Everywhere" was spread throughout the country by the "Red Sun Troupe" founded by Wang Jichu, and became a classic work of Chinese revolutionary historical folk songs. Shangcheng and Xinxian regard "Osmanthus" as their pride, and the two counties made irreplaceable contributions to the blooming of "Osmanthus." Xinyang City adopted osmanthus as its city flower. Xinyang City is located in the south of Henan Province, bordering Anhui to the east and Hubei to the south. Xinyang has beautiful mountains and rivers and a pleasant climate.

Suzhou
Suzhou's city flower is osmanthus. Osmanthus belongs to the Oleaceae family and is an evergreen tree. China has a cultivation history of more than two thousand years, and it is rated as one of the top ten traditional famous flowers. A myth was once widely circulated among the people: it is said that in the moon there is an osmanthus tree, 500 zhang tall. Wu Gang, a man from Hexi in the Han dynasty, because he studied immortality and did not follow the rules of the way, was punished by being sent to the moon to chop the osmanthus. But this tree closed up as soon as it was chopped, and could never be chopped down. He toiled all year round, and was only allowed to rest when the osmanthus bloomed at Mid-Autumn. Mao Zedong's lines, "Ask Wu Gang what he has; Wu Gang presents osmanthus wine," are a vivid embellishment of this story. Through the ages, people have regarded osmanthus as an auspicious sign. Generally, passing the imperial examination and succeeding in official career is called "plucking osmanthus." Those who obtain special honor are praised as having a "laurel wreath." Among some ethnic minorities in Guangxi, young men and women also like to give osmanthus to their sweethearts to express admiration, hence the proverb, "One branch of osmanthus, one heart; in the osmanthus grove, a lifelong union."

Hangzhou
Hangzhou uses osmanthus as its city flower not because the osmanthus flower shape is so beautiful or so large, but because of its deeper connotation: osmanthus is a flower with connotation. First, its fragrance is rich and elegantly pleasant. Whenever osmanthus blooms in the golden autumn season, the whole city of Hangzhou is filled with osmanthus fragrance, making people feel relaxed and joyful. Second, literati and poets of past dynasties wrote countless verses about Hangzhou osmanthus, which shows that osmanthus planting in Hangzhou also has a long history and has been loved by people for thousands of years. All tourists who come to Hangzhou during osmanthus season are captivated by it, and osmanthus fragrance has already become a symbol of Hangzhou.

Guilin
Guilin's city flower is also osmanthus. In Guilin, this scenic, world-famous tourist city, the "best under heaven" Guilin landscape attracts many people from home and abroad, and in Guilin there is the saying, "Guilin, Guilin, osmanthus trees form a forest."

Related Poems
"Zhegu Tian" by Li Qingzhao
Pale and light yellow, gentle in nature, distant in feeling and trace, only its fragrance remains.
Why need the light green or deep red? It is naturally the finest among flowers.
The plum must be jealous, the chrysanthemum should be ashamed; where it blooms by the painted rail, it crowns the Mid-Autumn.
How could the poets be so heartless? Why was it not included back then?

"Praising Osmanthus" by Zhang Yun'ao, Qing Dynasty
In August at West Lake, a fine leisurely stroll; where does fragrance reach the nose in quiet seclusion?
Beside Manjuelong, golden buds are everywhere; heavenly wind blows them down, autumn over ten thousand mountains.

"Looking at the Moon on the Night of the Fifteenth" by Wang Jian, Tang Dynasty
In the courtyard the ground is white, crows roost in the trees; cold dew falls silently, wetting the osmanthus.
Tonight the moon is bright and everyone gazes at it; who knows whose home the autumn longing falls upon?

"Autumn Night's Stirrings of Feeling" by Zhu Shuzhen, Song Dynasty
It suppresses the west wind and dominates all flowers; for whom does its full autumn beauty busily strive?
A single branch lightly placed beneath the study window; the person and the flower's heart each have their own fragrance.
When the moon waits to be full, the flower is at its best; after the flower will fade, the moon still wanes.
One should know that things in heaven and on earth alike all receive the clear autumn in one same time.

"Osmanthus" by Lü Shengzhi, Song Dynasty
It alone dominates the three autumn months and surpasses all flowers; why boast of green oranges and yellow tangerines?
Since it was divided and descended from the moon in mid-autumn, its fruit seems to drift down with fragrance from the sky's edge.

"Three Poems on Osmanthus of the East City, with Preface" by Bai Juyi, Tang Dynasty
The East City of Suzhou was the ancient capital of Wu. Now it is a place for woodcutters and herders.
There is one osmanthus tree growing below the city wall; pitying that it has not found a fitting place, I therefore composed three quatrains to console it.
You fell originally from Tianzhu Temple; your roots now coil in Helü City.
At that time you must have followed the south wind down, falling into the human world to grow at random.
Though pressed by much frost and snow, you do not die; yet thorns and brambles grow fast and want to bury you.
I long worry you will fall into a woodcutter's hands and be sold as a bundle of firewood in Suzhou.
From afar I know the osmanthus in heaven is lonely; I ask Chang'e, do you still want more?
Fortunately the moon palace has idle land; why not plant two more in the center?

Zhu Xi, Song Dynasty
Gracefully stands the osmanthus beneath the cliff; late in the year it alone is fragrant.
Leaves dense with a thousand layers of green; when flowers bloom, ten thousand dots of yellow.

"Cai Sang Zi" by Li Gang
Its secluded fragrance does not bloom for spring light; it waits straight for the autumn wind, waits straight for the autumn wind; its scent is far richer than other flowers.
With golden and jade hairpins swaying, the person is like jade; blown into tinkling motion, blown into tinkling motion, just like meeting beneath the moon on a jade terrace.
On the branch tips, ten thousand dots adorn golden stamens; ten miles of clear fragrance, ten miles of clear fragrance, drawing out the recluse's long, elegant thoughts.
In a jade vase storing water, the flowers are hard to age; on a clean table by a bright window, on a clean table by a bright window, fallen petals are shed in rustling yellow.

"Bird Cries in the Ravine" by Wang Wei
People at leisure, osmanthus flowers fall; the night is quiet, the spring mountain empty.
The moon emerges, startling mountain birds; at times they cry within the spring ravine.

"Osmanthus Blooms Again at Changsha Temple" by Chen Yuyi
Heaven sent the secluded flower to bloom twice; at dusk, Buddhist chanting, here I linger.
Not letting the lay devotee lie on the meditation couch; calling him out from the west chamber to view it together.

"Lingyin Temple" by Song Zhiwen, Tang Dynasty poet
Osmanthus seeds fall within the moon; heavenly fragrance drifts beyond the clouds.

"Chang'e" by Bian Gong, Ming Dynasty
In the moon palace autumn is cold, osmanthus round and round; year after year it blooms, and people only climb to pick. Together in the human world we speak of heaven, not knowing heaven remembers the human world.

"Remembering Jiangnan" by Bai Juyi, Tang Dynasty
In the mountain temple beneath the moon, seeking osmanthus seeds; on the commandery pavilion pillow, watching the tidal head.

"Sent to Zen Master Taoguang" by Bai Juyi, Tang Dynasty
I think from afar of where my master walks the Way; heavenly fragrance and osmanthus seeds fall in profusion.

"With Thoughts of My Younger Brother Han" by Yu Chou
Hibiscus weeping dew is seen at the slope's head; osmanthus seeds drifting fragrance are heard beneath the moon.

The flower language of osmanthus

Flower language: breathe in your fragrance. Autumn osmanthus is like gold, representing "harvest."
The flower language of osmanthus is "breathe in your breath."
Forever accompanying the beauty, the osmanthus tree is indeed a house tree whose fragrance fills the world and whose fame fills the world; it is a symbol of the lofty and beautiful, of "auspiciousness and wealth."
Osmanthus pictures