One of China's top ten famous flowers, with a rich fragrance, it can be enjoyed for its beauty, eaten, and also made into bonsai
Introduction
Potted green plants are already a must-have decorative element in home life. Keeping some flowers and plants at home has many benefits: it can beautify the home and delight the mood. "Huasheng Potted Plant Diary, Issue 1120" takes you to learn about one of China's top ten famous flowers.
Today's Featured Plant
Do you all know China's traditional top ten famous flowers? They are plum blossom, peony, chrysanthemum, orchid, Chinese rose, rhododendron, camellia, lotus, osmanthus, and narcissus, ranked by number of votes. Each is unique in the floral world and closely tied to Chinese culture, with a long history of cultivation and loved by Chinese people since ancient times. This issue introduces the osmanthus, which combines ornamental and culinary uses in one.
Osmanthus
The osmanthus is not known like other flowers for "large blooms and brilliant colors." On the contrary, its flowers are delicate and small, with a single flower color, and do not give a striking impression at first glance. But the osmanthus has its own unique qualities. The Tang dynasty poet Song Zhiwen praised it: "Osmanthus seeds fall in the moon, heavenly fragrance drifts beyond the clouds." The Song dynasty female poet Li Qingzhao said of it: "Why need pale green or light red? It is naturally first-rate among flowers." This shows its status.
One flower blooms, fragrance spreads for ten li
The osmanthus is so pure it can banish dust, and when strong its fragrance can spread far, making it truly outstanding. The saying "fragrance drifts for ten li" originally described the scent of osmanthus. Its fragrance resembles the distinctive fresh aroma of fruit, richly fragrant and refreshing to the heart. Not only can you enjoy its flowers and scent, the osmanthus is also edible. Osmanthus tea made with osmanthus as an ingredient is a Chinese specialty tea; it has a mild aroma and a pleasant taste. There is also osmanthus cake, a food found all over the country, which is also made with osmanthus.
Excellent material for bonsai
There are many varieties of osmanthus trees. Common ones include Four Seasons Osmanthus, Golden Osmanthus, Orange Osmanthus, and Silver Osmanthus. Four Seasons Osmanthus has the longest flowering period, blooming in all four seasons, and is a very good plant for greening and beautification. It is often cultivated in parks, courtyards, university campuses, and more. When it blooms, its aged fragrance fills the nose and refreshes the spirit. It is widely used in landscape construction and can also be grown in pots for viewing, making it a rare and excellent material for bonsai.
Excellent material for bonsai
China is the place of origin of the osmanthus. It adapts to subtropical climate regions and can withstand a minimum temperature of -13°C. In northern China it can also be planted outdoors in the ground, and it is very easy to cultivate. It does not demand much from the soil; ordinary soil can grow it. It is shade-tolerant and also likes light, and can grow well in semi-shaded environments. It is easy to care for: water thoroughly after the potting soil dries out, and even beginners can grow it well. It can be propagated by cuttings. Four Seasons Osmanthus in particular blooms in all four seasons and is worth having.