How to propagate osmanthus by cuttings correctly and what causes dry leaf tips
Osmanthus belongs to the Oleaceae family and is an evergreen tree with dense green foliage and a graceful form. When it blooms, the fragrance is sweet and carries for miles. It is not only enjoyed for its flowers but also edible and used to extract essential oils, giving it high ornamental and economic value. Because osmanthus produces few seeds and they are difficult to obtain, it is mostly propagated by cuttings. Among these, softwood cuttings are easy to source
Osmanthus belongs to the Oleaceae family and is an evergreen tree with dense green foliage and a graceful form. When it blooms, the fragrance is sweet and carries for miles. It is not only enjoyed for its flowers but also edible and used to extract essential oils, giving it high ornamental and economic value. Because osmanthus produces few seeds and they are difficult to obtain, it is mostly propagated by cuttings. Among these, softwood cuttings are easy to source, simple to perform, and have a high survival rate.
How to propagate osmanthus by cuttings correctly
1. Cutting time
Cuttings are best taken from mid-May to mid-July and from mid-September to mid-October. At this time the new shoots have stopped growing, the branches are rich in nutrients, the meristematic tissue is highly active, and the temperature is suitable, making rooting easy.
2. Substrate preparation
A slightly acidic sandy loam with deep soil, loose fertility, and good drainage is most suitable.
3. Selection of cuttings
Choose vigorous, pest-free, superior plants as mother trees. Cut current-year, semi-lignified young shoots from the upper outer part of the plant as cuttings. Grade all cuttings and tie them into small bundles, wrap the bases in moist toilet paper, and bring them indoors for planting.
4. Cutting treatment
Cut each section into 8-10 cm lengths, leaving 2 leaves on the upper part and cutting half of each leaf off. Cut the top end flat and the base at an angle, then immerse the bottom 3 cm in a solution of 5 parts per 100,000 naphthaleneacetic acid or 1 part per 10,000 No. 1 ABT rooting powder. Remove after 1 hour.
5. Cutting operation
Cuttings should be planted in separate beds (sections) according to diameter class. At a spacing of 5×10 cm, first make holes in the cutting bed with a wooden stick of the same thickness as the cuttings, then insert 2/3 of each cutting into the hole and press the soil firmly around it. Finally, water the bed thoroughly with a 1:10,000 carbendazim solution to disinfect the soil and supply water and retain moisture.
6. Post-cutting management
① Soil moisture should be around 50%, and air humidity is best kept above 85%.
② In the early stage of cutting, keep the shade cover at about 80% shade. This prevents direct strong sunlight while ensuring enough scattered light for the leafy cuttings to photosynthesize, which helps rooting.
③ After 10 days, spray the leaves once with 0.2% monopotassium phosphate or 0.5% superphosphate plus 0.1% urea solution.
④ After 30 days they have basically rooted; the film can be removed and light increased. For rooted seedlings, pay attention to leaf misting and shading on sunny summer days.
⑤ To make the seedlings grow strong, spray the leaves with 0.05% “Yemianbao”. Do not fertilize through the roots. By September to October or the following spring they can be transplanted into pots.
What causes dry leaf tips on osmanthus
1. Watering problems
The soil for osmanthus must have good aeration and it fears waterlogging. It is best not to water until dry, and then water thoroughly each time. It fears flooding and standing water. If damaged by waterlogging, the roots turn black and rot, the leaves first scorch at the tips, then the whole leaf turns yellow and drops, eventually causing the whole plant to die.
2. Light problems
Osmanthus is a light-loving plant, so the amount and duration of light it receives should be arranged appropriately.
3. Humidity problems
When temperatures rise or the environment is dry, try to use shading and misting to improve environmental humidity. Generally, if the tips of old leaves are dry, increasing humidity to above 60% is enough to improve it.
4. Temperature problems
The optimal growing temperature is 15~28°C. Temperatures that are too low or too high can both cause problems.
5. Ventilation problems
Ventilation needs to be increased in good time. It is suitable for planting in a ventilated, light-transmitting place; it likes a clean, ventilated environment and cannot tolerate smoke and dust damage.
6. Fertilization problems
Usually increase potassium fertilizer and humus fertilizer to improve its own disease resistance.
7. Pathogen problems
Brown spot disease: in the early stage, small chlorotic yellow spots appear on the leaves and gradually expand into nearly round lesions. Brown spot disease generally occurs from April to October, and old leaves are more susceptible than young leaves.
Blotch disease: the pathogen mostly invades from the leaf margin and leaf tip, occurring at the leaf margin and leaf tip. In the early stage, light brown small spots appear on the leaves and gradually expand into round or irregular lesions, later enlarging into nearly round or irregular grayish-brown large spots with dark brown edges. Blotch disease occurs from July to November and can occur year-round in greenhouses with poor environmental conditions.
Anthracnose: this disease infects osmanthus leaves. In the early stage, small chlorotic spots appear on the leaves and gradually expand to form round, semicircular, or elliptical lesions. The lesions are light brown to grayish-white with a reddish-brown ring at the edge. Under humid conditions, pale pinkish viscous spore discs appear on the lesions. Anthracnose occurs from April to June.
Control measures: First, reduce sources of infection. In autumn, thoroughly remove diseased fallen leaves. For potted osmanthus, promptly remove diseased leaves. Second, strengthen cultivation management. Choose fertile, well-drained soil or substrate for planting osmanthus; increase organic fertilizer and potassium fertilizer; planting density should be appropriate to allow ventilation and light penetration, reduce leaf surface humidity, and decrease disease occurrence. Use chemical control scientifically.
How is cutting propagation carried out?
Most flowers have a certain regenerative capacity. Under suitable conditions, a short shoot or a leaf will produce new roots. Cutting propagation makes use of this regenerative capacity of flowers. Cutting propagation grows faster than seed propagation, blooms earlier, can maintain the characteristics of the variety (mother plant), and the method is relatively simple, so it occupies an important position in flower cultivation.
Cutting includes: stem cuttings, leaf cuttings, and root cuttings, etc. Stem cuttings are further divided into hardwood cuttings and softwood cuttings.
Hardwood cuttings
Deciduous flowering shrubs such as winter jasmine, rose of Sharon, and hibiscus are generally propagated by hardwood cuttings. This can be done in spring before ecological bud break. Choose robust, well-filled 1- to 2-year-old branches as cutting material. Cuttings should be 10—20 cm long and must have at least 2—3 buds. The pre-buds of the cuttings should be plump and intact, and the cut should be smooth and slanted; the lower cut of the cutting can be cut flat into a horseshoe shape, but it should be cut below a node, because this part has active cambium and more accumulated nutrients, which is good for rooting.
Softwood cuttings
Evergreen broadleaf flowering plants such as camellia, rhododendron, osmanthus, Chinese rose, jasmine, michelia, and gardenia, and soft-stemmed herbaceous flowers such as chrysanthemum, dahlia, salvia, and pelargonium, are commonly propagated by softwood cuttings, carried out when new shoots or stems are half-mature, in summer and autumn. Cuttings are taken from young shoots of the current year, with 2—3 nodes and several whole or half leaves at the top, but osmanthus, camellia, and others can also use single-bud cuttings with one bud and one leaf. The lower cut of the cutting should also be cut below a node. In addition, to promote healing and rooting at the base, when collecting shoots the cutting can be pulled off from the old branch with a heel. Softwood cutting material contains more water, and the cutting period has high temperatures and large evaporation, so collected material should have excess branches and leaves trimmed promptly, and it is best to cut and insert immediately. When collecting in large quantities, it must be wrapped in moist material or gunny sacks and placed in a cool place to keep it fresh.
Leaf cuttings
Some flowers, such as begonia and chrysanthemum leaves, easily root and produce adventitious buds, and their leaves can be used for cuttings to become independent plants. When cutting leaves, note the following: if there is a petiole, cut it from the base of the petiole together with a bit of stem skin, with the petiole about 3 cm long, cut off part of the leaf edge, and insert the petiole into fine sand or loose soil or other substrate; if there is no petiole, lay the leaf flat on the cutting bed so it fits closely against the sand surface, but try not to get it wet. In this way roots can form at the veins and small plants will grow. Some flowers have broader leaves and can be divided into several pieces before cutting; Sansevieria and Haworthia belong to this category.
Root cuttings
Root cutting is a method of using roots as cuttings to make new plants. Some herbaceous perennials or woody flowering plants such as Chinese trumpet creeper, Japanese quince, and peony often use medium-thick lateral roots about 5—10 cm long from near the rhizome of the mother plant, inserted vertically or at an angle into potting soil, with the depth kept at about 1/2 the length of the root cutting. Root cuttings are best done in late autumn or early spring. The cutting method varies with root thickness: thinner roots can be cut and scattered on a pot (or box) and covered with soil; thicker roots should be placed with the thick end up and the thin end down, never upside down, and the middle-upper part should be level with the soil or slightly exposed above the soil surface. After new shoots grow, add more potting soil.
No matter which cutting method is used, after insertion water thoroughly, then cover the cutting pot with glass or plastic film to maintain a certain temperature and humidity, and place it in shade so it is not exposed to sunlight. Especially in early spring and winter, when temperatures sometimes drop suddenly, pay even more attention to temperature regulation. After rooting and surviving, transplant into pots. Do not expose to light; only after a week can it be moved to a bright place, but still not exposed to strong light.
Select superior mother plants and cutting material
Plants used as mother plants for cuttings should have superior variety, vigorous growth, and no pest or disease damage. Aged and declining plants are not suitable as mother plants. On the same plant, cutting material should be selected from the middle and upper parts, from sun-facing, well-filled branches, with shorter internodes, plump buds, and thick, strong branches and leaves. On the same branch, hardwood cuttings use the middle and lower parts of the branch, because the middle and lower parts store more nutrients, while the shoot tip tissue is often not well filled; but for conifers with regular tree form, such as Chinese juniper and deodar cedar, the tip with the terminal bud is better, because the resulting cuttings grow straight trunks and have a beautiful form. For heel cuttings, cut off the excessively tender top; but for chrysanthemum and similar plants, the tender tip is exactly what is used in cutting. Properly treat the cuttings
Cuttings should be taken and inserted immediately, especially leaf cuttings, to avoid leaf wilting and effects on rooting. For Chinese rose, rose of Sharon, Chinese trumpet creeper, and other cuttings taken in late autumn, because the temperature conditions for immediate cutting are not present, after cutting they can be tied into bundles and buried in moist coarse sand in a flowerpot, placed indoors at 0°C to 5°C. In winter, be careful not to let the sand get too dry. Wait until early spring of the next year to insert them. For flowering plants such as Chinese rose, cuttings can also be done in winter in a small plastic tunnel. For cuttings of succulent plants such as cacti, after cutting first place them in a ventilated place to dry for about a week, and insert them after the cut has slightly shrunk, otherwise they easily rot. For wax begonia, oleander, and others, after cutting the cuttings can first be soaked in clean water, and once roots emerge they can be planted directly into pots. For Chinese rose, Milan, and others, the lower cut of the cutting can be dipped in vitamin B12 injection liquid, taken out for one or two minutes to let the liquid be absorbed into the cutting, and then inserted into coarse sand; this treatment has the effect of promoting rooting. For cuttings of flowering plants with high water content, such as hydrangea and rex begonia, dipping the lower end of the cutting in some plant ash can prevent rot after cutting.
Choose a suitable cutting substrate Except for water cuttings, cuttings must be inserted into a certain substrate. There are many types of substrate, including garden soil, potting soil, mountain yellow soil, orchid soil, rice husk ash, vermiculite, river sand, and so on. Their environmental requirements are: good permeability, a certain water-holding capacity, easy warming, and good heat retention. For relatively extensive flowers, generally insert into garden soil or potting soil; for acid-loving flowers, insert into mountain yellow soil or orchid soil; for flowering plants that are difficult to root, it is better to insert into rice husk ash, vermiculite, or river sand (see “How to choose a cutting substrate?”).
Do the management work after cutting well
After cutting, strengthen management and create good rooting conditions for the cuttings. General flower cuttings require the cutting medium to be both moist and airy. A cover made of glass or plastic film can be placed over the cutting pot or bed to maintain temperature and humidity. Place small bricks under the cover to let air flow in. In summer and early autumn, place the cutting pot in shade during the day and in the open at night; in early spring, late autumn, and winter when the temperature is insufficient, place it in a warm place or greenhouse, but be sure to regulate temperature and humidity. Later, according to how quickly the cuttings root, gradually increase light (see “What kind of environmental conditions are needed for cuttings to root?”).
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Osmanthus Osmanthus fragrans Osmanthus guide: how to grow osmanthus / how to propagate osmanthus
Osmanthus profileOsmanthus Osmanthus fragrans
Osmanthus cultivation methods and precautions, and an introduction to osmanthus
Osmanthus (English Sweet Olive), Oleaceae family, Osmanthus genus, also known as “rock osmanthus” and “muxi”, commonly called osmanthus tree. It is an evergreen shrub or small tree and a temperate tree species. Leaves are opposite, mostly elliptical or long elliptical, with smooth, leathery leaf surfaces and serrated leaf margins. Flowers are clustered, with the corolla split to the base, in colors including milky white, yellow, and orange-red. 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. From “Zaijingtang Collection · Jiangnan Jingshi Poetry Draft · Osmanthus”: “The jade tree stands quietly as the severe season comes; after a thousand flowers are gone, its flowers bloom. Pure and chaste, it creates a realm of pure fragrance; the great earth's desolation depends on it to be redeemed.” Related plays and songs include “August Osmanthus Blooms Everywhere” and others.
Morphological characteristics of osmanthus
Osmanthus is an evergreen shrub or small tree and a temperate tree species. Leaves are opposite, mostly elliptical or long elliptical, with smooth, leathery leaf surfaces and serrated leaf margins.
Osmanthus flowers are clustered, with the corolla split to the base, in colors including milky white, yellow, and orange-red.
Ecological habits of osmanthus
Osmanthus adapts to subtropical climate regions and likes warmth and humidity. The average temperature in growing areas is 14~28°C, the average July temperature is 24~28°C, the average January temperature is above 0°C, it can tolerate a minimum temperature of -13°C, and the optimal growing 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 adult trees bloom, they need more water. If drought occurs, it will affect flowering. Strong sunlight and shade are both unfavorable to its growth, and it generally requires 6~8 hours of light per day.
Osmanthus likes a warm environment and is suitable for growing in deep, well-drained, fertile, humus-rich, slightly acidic sandy soil. It cannot tolerate drought or barrenness. In shallow, compacted, and 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 whole osmanthus plant dies; it likes sunlight but has some shade tolerance. Young trees need some shade. After maturity, relatively sufficient light is required to ensure normal growth of osmanthus. According to observation, when one side of a single osmanthus canopy is close to a wall, or when the canopies of two osmanthus trees overlap, 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, ventilated environment and cannot tolerate smoke and dust damage, and after being damaged it often cannot bloom; it fears flooding and standing water, and if damaged by waterlogging, the roots turn black and rot, the leaves first scorch at the tips, then the whole leaf turns yellow and drops, eventually causing the whole plant to die; it is not very cold-resistant, but compared with other evergreen broadleaf tree species, it is still a relatively cold-resistant tree species, which provides more possibilities for potted osmanthus in the north.
Cultivation techniques of osmanthus, key cultivation points
1. Planting: Choose spring or autumn, especially the best time is cloudy or rainy days. Choose a ventilated, well-drained, and warm place; full sunlight or partial shade is acceptable. When transplanting, make a soil ball to ensure survival rate. The planting soil should be slightly acidic; avoid alkaline soil. For potted osmanthus, the potting soil ratio is 2 parts leaf mold, 3 parts garden soil, 3 parts sandy soil, and 2 parts decomposed cake fertilizer. Mix evenly, then pot or repot, which can be done before spring bud break.
2. Light and temperature: South of the Yellow River basin, it can be cultivated outdoors through winter. Potted plants should be moved indoors in winter and placed in a sunny place so they fully receive direct sunlight. Keep room temperature above 5°C but not above 10°C. After budding in April of the next year, move outdoors, first place in a wind-sheltered, sunny place for care, and after stable growth gradually move to a ventilated, sunny or semi-shaded environment, then carry out normal management. Insufficient light during the growing period affects flower bud differentiation.
3. Watering and fertilizing: Before field planting, mix plant ash and organic fertilizer into the planting hole first, and water thoroughly once after planting. Keep the soil moist before new shoots emerge, and do not water with fertilizer solution. 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 human waste. Potted osmanthus should be moved into a low-temperature greenhouse in winter in the north, and indoors pay attention to ventilation and light transmission, and water less. After moving out in April, water can be appropriately increased, and during the peak growing season an appropriate amount of dilute fertilizer water can be applied; 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, remove other root suckers, overly dense branches, water sprouts, crossing branches, and diseased or weak branches to allow ventilation and light penetration. For trees that are strong at the top and weak at the bottom, the upper branches can be cut back by 1/3 to make the overall tree vigor strong, and at the same time apply 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 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 is said that in winter, after young osmanthus trees enter winter, water once with anti-freezing water and cultivate soil at the base to protect the roots, then wrap the trunk and branches with 7 layers of thick newspaper, and they can overwinter outdoors in Beijing. After three years, there is no need to wrap them for winter again.
Key cultivation points for container osmanthus seedlings
1. Anti-freezing measures: Osmanthus is slightly cold-tolerant. Potted container osmanthus seedlings from cuttings that year are prone to freezing damage, so they generally should be moved into a greenhouse before the temperature drops below 0°C.
2. Pest and disease control: Osmanthus is prone to anthracnose, brown spot disease, dead leaf disease, leaf branch disease, leaf roller moth, whitefly, scale insects, bagworm moth, slug moth, osmanthus leafhopper, and other pests and diseases. Observe promptly and spray pesticides promptly for control.
Cultivation management
In the warm regions of the Yangtze River basin and to the south, it is mostly planted outdoors. Outdoor planting should choose a site with sufficient sunlight, good drainage, deep topsoil, and light pollution. The planting hole for osmanthus 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 have 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. In spring when buds begin to move and new leaves emerge, apply a quick-acting fertilizer mainly of nitrogen once; in July before flowering, apply a quick-acting fertilizer mainly of phosphorus and potassium once. In October, apply a slow-acting fertilizer mainly of organic matter once, which can make growth and flowering good. Before flowering, pay attention to irrigation; during flowering, control water, otherwise too much water easily causes flower drop. Pruning is best done after flowering in autumn, and severe pruning is not suitable; only prune diseased and pest-damaged branches, thin and weak branches, damaged branches, inward-growing branches, and water sprouts. Usually also pay attention to pest and disease control.
Because winters in North China are cold, it is not suitable for outdoor cultivation of osmanthus, and it is mostly grown in pots. Potted soil requirements are not strict; it can be made from mountain soil or leaf mold, garden soil, river sand, etc., with slightly acidic pH being best. If the pH value is too low, growth is slow and leaves easily turn yellow; a little lime powder or plant ash can be added to adjust it. If the pH value is too high, leaves easily wither and may even die; a little ferrous sulfate or aluminum sulfate can be added to improve it.
Potted osmanthus is transplanted into pots before spring bud break or after flowering in autumn. After transplanting well, water thoroughly once, move to shade for 7~10 days, and only after growth resumes and new leaves emerge can normal watering and fertilizing begin. Pot soil moisture is best at 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 long-term standing water will cause root rot. For fertilizing potted osmanthus, refer to field cultivation fertilization.
Osmanthus has a well-developed root system and strong sprouting ability. Adult osmanthus trees flush shoots twice each year, in spring and autumn, so they should be pruned appropriately and promptly. Pruning is best done after flowering in autumn or before spring bud break. 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, water sprouts, damaged branches, and diseased or pest-damaged branches. During the growing period, cut off sprouting suckers to concentrate nutrients and promote abundant flowering. [12] The suitable growth temperature for osmanthus is 25~28°C. Above 30°C is unfavorable to growth and development, and below -6°C it is prone to freezing damage. For safe overwintering of potted plants, room temperature between 0~10°C is more suitable. In the north, move osmanthus indoors in late autumn, keep the pot soil slightly moist, and let it fully enter dormancy to promote flowering the next year. After Qingming the next year, move it to a ventilated, sunny place for care. Potted osmanthus should be repotted and given new soil once every 1~2 years, with sufficient base fertilizer.
Propagation methods of osmanthus
Propagation methods: There are many propagation methods for osmanthus, including sowing, grafting, layering, and cuttings.
1. Seed propagation
Seedling raising by sowing takes a long time to reach flowering, so home flower growers mostly do not use this method.
Osmanthus fruit matures from April to May. When the fruit skin changes from green to purple-black, it can be harvested. Osmanthus seeds have after-ripening and need at least half a year of sand storage. After harvest, sprinkle water and pile them to ferment, remove the fruit flesh, place in a cool place to let the seeds air-dry naturally, mix with sand and store. After sand storage, they can be sown in autumn or spring. During sand storage, check frequently to prevent seed mold or rat damage. 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 to shade and retain moisture, and keep the soil moist frequently. Seedlings can emerge the same year. The seeding rate is about 20 kg per mu, producing about 30,000 seedlings. Small seedlings grow in the seedbed for 2 years, and in the 3rd year they can be transplanted for cultivation. Seedling-grown plants bloom relatively late, only showing flowers after 8-10 years of planting.
2. Grafting propagation
Grafting rootstocks are mostly privet, small-leaf privet, small wax, water wax, white wax, and fringetree (also known as Yougongzi and Niujinzi), etc. When propagating seedlings in large quantities, the north mostly uses small-leaf privet. Before spring sprouting, cut the rootstock at 5 cm above the ground; cut 1- to 2-year-old thick osmanthus branches 10~12 cm long, shave one side of the base into a 2~3 cm cut surface, and cut the opposite side into a small 45-degree 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 plastic bags, then bury in soil for cultivation. Using small-leaf privet as rootstock gives a high survival rate, and grafted seedlings grow fast but have a short lifespan and easily form the “small foot” phenomenon of “thick top and thin bottom”. Using water wax as rootstock, growth is slow but the lifespan is longer. Potted osmanthus is mostly propagated by approach grafting. Using fringetree as rootstock, approach grafting should be done in the growing season, not in the rainy season or dog days. During approach grafting, choose scion and rootstock branches of similar thickness, cut the scion at a suitable place into a spindle-shaped cut reaching the xylem, about 3~4 cm long, cut the rootstock at the same height into a cut matching the size of the scion, then bring the two cuts together so their cambium layers tightly join, 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 everywhere, but there is no obvious main root. Osmanthus has strong branching and low branching points, especially obvious in youth, so it often appears shrubby over 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; elliptical, long elliptical, ovate, obovate, lanceolate, oblanceolate, long lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate.
3. Cutting propagation
Before spring sprouting, use well-developed 1-year-old branches, cut into 5~10 cm lengths, remove the lower leaves, keep 2~3 green leaves at the upper part, and insert into river sand or yellow soil seedbeds at a spacing of 3 cm X 20 cm. After insertion, water or mist promptly, shade, and maintain 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 ground layering and air layering. For ground layering, osmanthus must use low-branching or clump-forming mother plants. The time is from spring to early summer. Choose relatively thick low-trunk mother trees, select 1- to 2-year-old branches on the lower part, choose an easily bendable part, cut or ring-bark with a sharp knife to the xylem, then press into a 3~5 cm deep trench, and fix the pressed branch with a wooden stick, leaving only the tip and leaves outside. The air layering method is to select 1- to 2-year-old thick branches from the mother tree in spring, cut a ring or ring-bark in the same way as ground layering, or make a cut from the lower side 6~9 cm long, then apply culture substrate to the wound, tie plastic bags tightly above and below, and during the cultivation process always keep the substrate moist. After roots form in autumn, cut it off from the mother plant for care.
Selecting osmanthus seeds
Propagating osmanthus from seed is the fastest method, but the common methods are cuttings 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 at least 18 years old; such osmanthus seeds will have a higher emergence rate, and the seedlings grown will be more resistant.
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 over 18 years. Because the mother trees have been contracted for many years, quality is somewhat guaranteed. When selecting seeds, choose clean seeds, with a golden-yellow color, 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 the field pesticide management the next year will also be reduced.
Osmanthus cultivation methods 1. Why is Four Seasons Osmanthus not fragrant?
Answer: The reason Four Seasons Osmanthus blooms year-round but is not fragrant is that the variety itself has relatively light fragrance. Among common osmanthus varieties, the strongest fragrance is Dan Gui, followed by Jin Gui, then Yin Gui, while Four Seasons Osmanthus has the lightest fragrance. 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 used because its tree form is beautiful and it blooms in all four seasons, making it suitable for potted viewing. Four Seasons Osmanthus mostly grows in clumps, with yellowish-white flowers, relatively sparse, light fragrance, and a long flowering period. Generally, except in severe winter and midsummer, it can bloom about once every two months, with slightly stronger fragrance in autumn and lighter at other times. Its varieties include large-leaf Four Seasons Osmanthus and small-leaf Four Seasons Osmanthus. If Yueyue Gui lacks light and phosphorus fertilizer during cultivation, the 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 still cannot match other varieties.
2. Why does potted osmanthus not bloom?
Answer: First, insufficient light. Osmanthus likes light. During the vegetative growth period, when light intensity 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 provided. Second, lack of fertilizer. Osmanthus grows and flowers abundantly and needs to consume a large amount of nutrients. If the pot soil is barren or fertility is insufficient, it will also affect plant growth and flowering. Therefore, during shoot flushing, apply 1~2 fertilizers mainly of nitrogen; from the flower bud differentiation period (starting at the end of May) to before flowering, apply 2~3 fertilizers mainly of phosphorus. Third, pot soil too wet. Osmanthus avoids excessive moisture and standing water. Wet waterlogging can cause root rot and lead to poor growth and no flowering, and in severe cases can cause the death of the potted plant. Watering should follow the principle of “do not water until dry, and water thoroughly when watering”. After heavy rain and rainstorms, promptly drain standing water from the pot. Pay special attention to weather that clears after rain, and even more avoid damaging the root system. Fourth, soil tends to be alkaline. Osmanthus likes slightly acidic soil, with pH 5.5~6.5 being suitable. Osmanthus grown in alkaline soil often has poor growth and is affected in flowering. Fifth, smoke and dust pollution. Osmanthus cannot tolerate smoke, dust, and pollution. When there is too much smoke and dust or after pollution, the leaves become smaller, easily fall off, and the phenomenon of only growing leaves and not flowering appears. Sixth, it has not reached flowering age.
3. What edible and 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, pickle 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, delicious and appetizing. Take superior small jujubes, cook with sugar, and when the soup is almost gone, add osmanthus, making spleen-strengthening and appetite-opening osmanthus candied jujubes. Osmanthus twigs, seeds, and roots can all be used as medicine. Guizhi Tang, prepared from osmanthus twigs, peony, ginger, jujube, and licorice, specifically treats externally contracted wind pathogen, fever, and headache. Osmanthus root is sweet and slightly astringent.
4. How to thaw frozen osmanthus?
Answer: In early winter, osmanthus is attacked by cold waves and is very prone to freezing damage. In affected plants, the concentration of the solution in the intercellular spaces increases, and the protoplast severely dehydrates, causing tender leaves to shrink. In this situation, if you rush to place the affected potted plant in a high-temperature or direct sunlight place, 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 three layers of highly absorbent waste newspaper together with the pot. When wrapping, be careful not to damage the potted flower's branches and leaves, and avoid direct sunlight. Let it stand like this for one day so the potted flower's temperature 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 flowering plant in the 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 flowering plant, pay attention to retaining buds, and try to let the terminal buds grow toward gaps. Prune vigorous branches heavily, cut off useless weak branches, and keep and lightly prune those needed to fill gaps. Third, moderately tie the potted flower. If a certain direction has a large gap, use tying to guide dense branches toward the gap. Fourth, frequently turn the pot. For osmanthus that does not need pruning, frequently turn the pot so that gaps face the sun and can induce new branches. Turning the pot: throughout the year, the sun always moves along its orbit, so the angle and intensity of light are constantly changing. If the flowerpot is fixed in one position for a long time, one side of the plant always fails to get proper light, and over time the round potted plant grows unevenly due to uneven sunlight. Therefore, during the growing season, rotate the flowerpot 45° every 10 days. By frequently turning the flowerpot, all angles and directions of the plant will grow evenly, the side branches around the trunk will also be neat and uniform, and the leaves can evenly receive sunlight. Thus, the plant's shape and posture can be full and beautiful, achieving ornamental effect from every angle, and making the branches and leaves grow more spread out and beautiful.
6. Why is osmanthus prone to dying at the turn of winter and spring?
Answer: This should be traced from management methods. In addition to providing appropriate water and sufficient light, not fertilizing osmanthus in winter and placing it in a cool, cold environment is especially important. The reason osmanthus easily dies in winter is not that the environment is not warm enough, but that 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 tens of millions of years, when overwintering in a warm place, does not show anything unusual in the plant for the first period. On the contrary, it seems to forget that winter has arrived, grows buds and shoots, and looks full of vitality. However, this situation cannot last long. Indoor lighting and temperature changes and other factors cannot satisfy growth like in summer, and old leaves begin to fall, new shoots wilt, and the plant dies. To make the osmanthus you grow overwinter safely, in winter place it in an environment of 0~5°C and give sufficient sunlight; do not apply additional fertilizer, and avoid overly wet pot soil. After winter passes, you will find that the osmanthus you grew not only survived safely, but also appears stronger in growth potential than those that barely survived overwintering 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, with large seedlings 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. Flowers that open at the beginning of spring buds, in the coming autumn, strong spring shoot growth will lead to more flowering. Osmanthus trees bloom in autumn, and to restore tree vigor and replenish nutrients, inorganic fertilizer or garbage mixed fertilizer is needed before winter. At the same time, according to osmanthus growth, fertilize once or twice. Newly transplanted osmanthus trees have damaged roots, so their absorption capacity is weak, and fertilizer should not be added too early. Base fertilizer should be mixed evenly with the transplant pit soil before adding soil. The roots should not directly contact the fertilizer, so as not to injure 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 easily survives. When fertilizing seedlings, the concentration of plant roots cannot 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 blotch disease, and osmanthus anthracnose are common leaf diseases of osmanthus. These diseases can cause early leaf drop in osmanthus, weaken plant growth vigor, and reduce osmanthus flower yield and ornamental value. The main pest in home osmanthus cultivation is mites, commonly known as red spider mites. Once disease is found, deal with it immediately; you can use mite clear, aphid-mite kill, and azocyclotin for leaf 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, small chlorotic yellow spots appear on the leaves and gradually expand into nearly round lesions, 2~10 mm in diameter, or become irregular lesions because lesion expansion is limited 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 spring of the next year produces conidia for primary infection. Conidia are spread by airflow and raindrops.
Osmanthus blotch disease
The pathogen of this disease mostly invades from the leaf margin and leaf tip, occurring at the leaf margin and leaf tip. In the early stage, light brown small spots appear on the leaves and gradually expand into round or irregular lesions, later enlarging into nearly round or irregular grayish-brown large spots with dark brown edges. Blotch disease occurs from July to November and can occur year-round in greenhouses with poor environmental conditions. The pathogen spreads and infects via conidia by wind and water. High temperature, high humidity, and poor ventilation favor disease occurrence. When plants are 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, small chlorotic spots appear on the leaves and gradually expand to form round, semicircular, or elliptical lesions. The lesions are light brown to grayish-white with a reddish-brown ring at the edge. Under humid conditions, pale pinkish viscous spore discs 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 sources of infection. In autumn, thoroughly remove diseased fallen leaves. For potted osmanthus, promptly remove diseased leaves. Second, strengthen cultivation management. Choose fertile, well-drained soil or substrate for planting osmanthus; increase organic fertilizer and potassium fertilizer; planting density should be appropriate to allow ventilation and light penetration, reduce leaf surface humidity, and decrease disease occurrence. Use chemical control scientifically. In the early stage, spray Bordeaux mixture at 1:2:200; 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 them in 1000 times potassium permanganate solution for disinfection.
Introduction to osmanthus varieties
After long-term cultivation, natural hybridization, and artificial selection, osmanthus has produced many cultivated varieties. Through further investigation and sorting, 32 varieties of osmanthus have been preliminarily identified.
In terms of flower color, there are golden osmanthus, silver osmanthus, and red osmanthus; in terms of leaf shape, there are willow-leaf osmanthus, golden-fan osmanthus, Dishui Huang, sunflower-leaf, and Chaibing Huang; in terms of flowering period, there are August osmanthus, four-season osmanthus, and Yueyue Jia, etc. [7] China does not yet have a unified variety classification, and by convention osmanthus is divided into the following four variety types: golden osmanthus, silver osmanthus, red osmanthus, and four-season osmanthus.
Four-season osmanthus variety group: the plant is relatively short with more tillering shoots, and the fragrance is not as rich as that of silver osmanthus, golden osmanthus, or red osmanthus. It blooms multiple times a year or continuously, with lemon-yellow or pale yellow flowers. Varieties include large-leaf four-season osmanthus and small-leaf four-season osmanthus. It blooms in all four seasons, and varieties include "Yueyue Gui", "Rixiang Gui", "Daye Fodingzhu", and "Chieye Sijigui".
Silver osmanthus variety group: blooms in autumn, with pure white, milky white, yellow-white, or pale yellow flowers. Varieties include broad-leaf seed silver osmanthus, willow-leaf silver osmanthus, hard-leaf silver osmanthus, "Zi Yingui", "Jiulong Gui", "Zao Yingui", "Wan Yingui", "Baijie", "Chunbai Yingui", and "Qingshan Yingui".
Golden osmanthus variety group: blooms in autumn, with flowers from lemon yellow to light golden yellow. Varieties include "Dahua Jingui", "Daye Huang", "Huangchuan Jingui", "Wan Jingui", "Yuanye Jingui", Xianning Wan Gui, Qiu Gui, Yuanbian Jingui, Liuye Sugui, Jinshi Gui, Boye Jingui, and others.
Red osmanthus variety group: blooms in autumn, with relatively deeper flower colors, from orange, orange-yellow, and orange-red to vermilion. Varieties include "Zhusha Dangui", "Daye Dangui", "Xiaoye Dangui", and "Chi Dangui".
Distribution areas of osmanthus
Garden osmanthus originated in the eastern section of the Himalayas in southwest China, and is also distributed in India, Nepal, and Cambodia. In southwest China, Sichuan, southern Shaanxi, Yunnan, Guangxi, Guangdong, Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi, Anhui, Henan, and other places, wild osmanthus grows. It is now widely planted in the Huai River basin and areas to the south. Its suitable growing area reaches north to the lower reaches of the Yellow River and south to Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hainan.
This region has good hydrothermal conditions and suitable precipitation. The soil is mostly yellow-brown earth or yellow-cinnamon soil, and the vegetation is mainly of the subtropical broadleaf forest type. Nurtured and influenced by the above conditions, osmanthus grows well, and several nationally famous osmanthus commercial production bases have formed in Lu'an, Anhui; Xianning, Hubei; Taoyuan, Hunan; Suzhou, Jiangsu; Guilin, Guangxi; Wuhan, Hubei; Hangzhou, Zhejiang; and Chengdu, Sichuan. Hangzhou's city flower is also precisely osmanthus.
Dietary or medicinal value of osmanthus
The medical information and health dietary information on Hugarden are for reference only and cannot be used as a basis for diagnosis or medical treatment. Any health problem should be consulted with professional medical personnel, and the treatment of any disease should follow a doctor's advice.
Ultimate flower-protecting mission: love yourself, start from reality, and strictly follow a doctor's advice. For illness, do not be careless, do not delay, do not give up hope, face it bravely, warm the silent world with love, and care for the flower field in your heart with your heart.
Medicinal value: brief introduction to the medicinal material: Oleaceae, evergreen tree. Flowers pale yellow-white, fragrant; aromatic oil is extracted and osmanthus concrete is made; it can be used in food and cosmetics, can make cakes and candies, and can be used to brew wine. Osmanthus is pungent in taste 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 dried separately in the sun.
Related medicinal materials: Green-backed osmanthus, horse osmanthus, mountain osmanthus, osmanthus dew, and osmanthus seeds.
Nature, flavor, and meridian entry: Flowers: pungent, warm. Fruits: pungent, sweet, warm. Roots: sweet, slightly astringent, neutral.
Functions and indications：
Flowers: disperse cold and break stagnation, transform phlegm and stop cough. Used for toothache, cough and asthma with abundant phlegm, amenorrhea, and abdominal pain.
Fruits: warm the stomach, calm the liver, and disperse cold. Used for deficiency-cold stomach pain.
Roots: dispel wind-dampness and disperse cold. Used for wind-dampness pain of the muscles and bones, low back pain, and toothache due to kidney deficiency.
Practical supplementary formulas：
Formula 1
[Ingredients]: 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 before drinking.
[Usage]: Drink 1 cup each morning and evening.
[Effects]: Strengthens muscles, nourishes the skin, invigorates blood, and moistens the throat.
[Application]: Suitable for symptoms such as dry skin, hoarseness, and toothache.
Formula 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;
2. Put the osmanthus into a cup, pour in boiling water, add rock sugar, cover the cup, and let it steep for about three minutes. When the lid is lifted, the fragrance comes out.
[Effects]: Can transform phlegm and dissipate stasis, and treat cough.
Effects of osmanthus wine：
The ancients believed that osmanthus was the chief of all medicines, so wine brewed with osmanthus could achieve the effect of "drinking it brings longevity 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, younger generations offered osmanthus wine to their elders, and after the elders drank it, it symbolized prolonged life.
This wine is sweet, fragrant, and mellow, with the effects of stimulating appetite, refreshing the mind, strengthening the spleen, and tonifying deficiency. Osmanthus wine is especially suitable for women to drink and has been praised as "women's happiness wine." Traditional Chinese medicine includes 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, hives, stomach cold and stomach pain, bad breath, and blurred 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 with the soaked glutinous rice, then cover with the cut lotus root node end and secure firmly 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 cook for about two hours, then remove from 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. Cook until the sugar syrup is viscous, add osmanthus syrup and stir evenly, then remove from heat and let cool.
9. Pour the sugar syrup over the glutinous rice lotus root and it is ready.
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, and knead into a shortcrust 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 small pieces, and roll them with a rolling pin into ox-tongue shapes.
4. Roll down from the top, then fold into three folds, roll into a wrapper, 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 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 first-grade Sichuan white sugar, 4 kg refined sugar, 4 kg glutinous rice flour, 4 kg cooked oil, 2.5 kg honey osmanthus, 20 kg cooked flour. Production method.
1. Make cooked flour: Put the flour into a steamer and steam it cooked (time 20 minutes), take it out and cool it, then grind it fine with a grinder. This is cooked flour.
2. Make cake flour: Wash glutinous rice with warm water at 50-60°C for 4-5 minutes, take it out and spread it in a winnowing basket to drain the water, and the next day stir-fry it with river sand (river sand treated with vegetable oil) until it puffs (it must not be stir-fried yellow), then grind it into powder with an electric mill, which is cake flour (also called male powder). Then spread the coffee osmanthus cake on a winnowing basket and expose it for 2-3 days. It is ready when the powder can be squeezed into a ball by hand without falling apart.
3. Make refined sugar: According to the ratio of 50 kg of white sugar, add 2-2.5 kg of maltose and 7.5 kg of water. After boiling, add 1 kg of melted oil and cook to about 120°C. When a drop of the sugar liquid put into water can form a block, scoop it up and put it into an ice pot and stir until it becomes sandy, making refined sugar.
4. Make the filling: According to the ingredients, mix the white sugar, cooked flour, cooked oil cake flour, and honey osmanthus evenly, sift to remove impurities, and the filling is ready.
5. Panning and shaping: Use wooden frames. First put 1/5 of the mixed base and surface material into the frame, spread a thin layer as the base, place the filling in the middle, then cover with 4/5 of the base and surface material as the cake surface layer, roll flat, press tight, cut into rectangular strips with a thin knife, and then package.
Food characteristics: rectangular strips, complete shape, uniform thickness.
Color: yellow and white clearly distinguished, no spots, no impurities.
Texture: moist, soft, fine, and melting in the mouth, not coarse, no sugar grains.
Taste: sweet and delicious, with a rich, light 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 baijiu.
1. Wash the fatty pork and lean pork, wipe dry with cloth, 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 thoroughly marinated chopped pork and mix well. Mix an appropriate amount of pink coloring with one teaspoon of water, marinate with the seasonings for about 10 minutes, then add and mix.
4. After the thoroughly marinated chopped pork has been mixed with pink coloring, begin the work of stuffing it into the casing. Take out the soaked intestine, pour off the water in which the intestine was soaked, drain the intestine and put it back into a container, tie one end of the intestine tightly with string, and put the other end over the funnel for making sausages, also tying it tightly with string. Prepare a sewing needle about 7 cm long. When the intestine expands, use the sewing needle to prick holes around the lowest position where air is trapped, so that the air is released. 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 string.
5. Use a roasting clip made of wire mesh to clamp the stuffed meat sausage in a wrapping manner and place it about 24 cm above red-hot charcoal to roast, turning and moving it until a fragrant aroma is released and it is done.
6. If the stuffed meat sausage is too long, it can be cut into sections and roasted in 2 or 3 batches. The cut openings should be tied tightly with string immediately to prevent the meat granules from coming out. If not roasting in long strips, it can be changed to a sausage form in sections about 17 cm long.
Carving material
The wood of the osmanthus tree is dense, has beautiful grain, is not easy to crack, and has a smooth planed surface, 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 reflects results quickly; in the year of planting, it can already play a relatively good role. However, when planted in the north, its cold resistance is generally ordinary, and special protection is needed in winter for it to overwinter safely.
Osmanthus is evergreen all year round, with luxuriant branches and leaves, blooms in autumn, and is full of 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, with solitary planting, opposite planting, and also planting in clumps or groves. In China's classical gardens, osmanthus is often combined with buildings, mountains, and rocks, with clump-forming shrub-type plants planted near pavilions, terraces, towers, and chambers. Old-style courtyards often use opposite planting, anciently called "double osmanthus facing 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, taking 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 spices. China has formed regions with concentrated osmanthus planting, including Xianning in Hubei, Taoyuan in Hunan, Lu'an in Anhui, Guilin in Guangxi, Zunyi in Guizhou, and Wuhan in Hubei.
Enjoying osmanthus in Jiangcheng
Osmanthus in some scenic spots in Wuhan: 3458 plants at Hankou Jiangtan, 153 plants at Baibuting Youyuan, 24 plants on Huangpu Road, 63 plants in Hanjiang Green Space. Greening in Jiangcheng has upgraded from the past stages of adding greenery and adding flowers to adding fragrance, increasing the number of aromatic plants in newly built and renovated public green spaces and enhancing the city's taste. A few years ago, the Baibuting community planted 473 osmanthus trees in the central square of the community, which were very popular among residents. In recent years, more have been continuously replanted, 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 Wuhan University Osmanthus Garden known to the ivory tower. Wuhan has also specially launched a Wuhan flower-viewing map to make it convenient for tourists to enjoy osmanthus, cherry blossoms, plum blossoms, and various other flowers and trees.
Xinzhou District in Wuhan currently has an osmanthus base of 13,000 mu, mainly distributed in Cangbu, with 34 bases, of which 11 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. There is also the largest red osmanthus 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, it has many rare osmanthus varieties, among which the early red osmanthus covers 1,000 mu and is the largest red osmanthus garden in central China. Third, it has the largest osmanthus breeding base area. There are already 4 million osmanthus seedlings 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 parks account for more than half. On Moshan in East Lake alone, there are over 100 mu and more than 10,000 osmanthus trees. Wuhan has more than 120 species of greening trees totaling 754,000 plants, and osmanthus trees account for less than 5%. But the head of Wuhan's landscaping department said that the built-up area of Wuhan's three towns 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." Observant citizens also found that the osmanthus trees on the streets of the three towns include not only many varieties such as red osmanthus, golden osmanthus, and silver osmanthus, but are also divided by tree shape into single-trunk osmanthus, clump-growing osmanthus, and others. 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, 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 scenic belt. Along the southern part of the canal, the ancient city "Snake Gate" and the 218-meter-long Gusu land-and-water city tower were built. A winding two-kilometer path runs along the canal through dense willow-shaded green island woods. The lawns are broad and naturally comfortable, fully showing the characteristics of the water towns of Jiangnan cities, 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 precious and rare tree species. It is especially characterized by osmanthus tree species. The richness of osmanthus varieties and the large quantity in the park rank first in China. 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 personnel to go south to Shanghai, Hangzhou, eastern Zhejiang, and western Zhejiang, and travel far to more than a dozen counties in southeastern Sichuan, crossing mountains and wading through waters, to search for some famous varieties long 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. There are 62 osmanthus varieties recorded in China by osmanthus classification experts Xiang Qibai and Liu Yulian, of which 50 are collected in Osmanthus Park, belonging to the two major categories of four-season osmanthus and autumn osmanthus, and the four variety groups of four-season osmanthus, silver osmanthus, golden osmanthus, and red osmanthus.
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 are vast and osmanthus is wet; plum rain rustles and lychees are so." There is also Li Qingzhao's "Zhegu Tian - Osmanthus": "Why need pale green and 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 clear outing; where does fragrance reach the nose in seclusion? Beside Manjuelong golden grains are everywhere; heavenly wind blows down the autumn of ten thousand mountains." Although there are many verses praising osmanthus, there are also many that stir sadness in the face of scenes, such as Wang Jian of the Tang Dynasty in "Watching the Moon on the Fifteenth Night": "In the courtyard the ground is white, crows roost in the trees; cold dew silently wets the osmanthus. Tonight the moon is bright and everyone gazes at it; I wonder whose 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 that it is impeccable. We know that osmanthus can release a light but not vulgar fragrance. That fragrance is rich yet does 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 unusual odors at home for a long time and release clean oxygen and waves of subtle fragrance through photosynthesis.
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: "I raise the Big Dipper to pour osmanthus wine; with magnolia chariots and osmanthus banners." From the Han Dynasty to the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, osmanthus had already become a precious flowering tree and a superior tribute. In the early Han Dynasty it was introduced and planted in imperial palace gardens and succeeded. Since the Tang and Song dynasties, osmanthus cultivation began to prevail. 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 people 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 late colors; 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 production 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, with the best growth 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 grain resembles rhinoceros horn it is also called muxi; because it is elegant and noble and its fragrance spreads all around, it is called "immortal friend"; osmanthus is also called "immortal tree" and "matchmaker of flowers." Osmanthus usually grows on rocky ridges, so it is also called "rock osmanthus"; when osmanthus blooms, its rich fragrance travels far, and its aroma has the characteristic of being both clear and rich, clear enough to cleanse and rich enough to travel far, hence the fine name "nine-li fragrance"; its yellow flowers are fine like millet, so it also has the name "golden millet"; osmanthus is "immortal guest"; it blooms in autumn, and the ancients said 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 successful in official careers and rising rapidly are said to "pluck osmanthus."
Legends of osmanthus
(1) A plague broke out in Xianning, and nearly one third of the people died. People tried various folk remedies but none worked. At the foot of Guabang Mountain lived a brave, honest, and filial young man named Wu Gang. His mother was also bedridden, and the young man went up the mountain every day to gather herbs to save his mother. One day, Guanyin was returning from an eastern journey and was hurrying back to the Western Heaven to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. Passing by that day, she saw the young man gathering herbs 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 small golden flower; steeping it in water and drinking it could cure this plague; on Guabang Mountain, by the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, there would be a heavenly ladder by which he could go to the moon palace to pick it. That night happened to be the twelfth day of the eighth lunar month, and there were still three days until the Mid-Autumn Festival on the fifteenth. But to reach the top of Guabang Mountain he 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 countless hardships and finally reached the top of Guabang Mountain on the night of the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, just in time for the heavenly ladder leading to the moon palace. August 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 he could not carry away much if he picked a lot, so he thought of a method: he shook the osmanthus tree, making the osmanthus flowers fall in profusion into the river below Guabang Mountain. At once the river surface was filled with a striking fragrance, and the river water was dyed golden yellow. People drank this river water, and the plague was completely cured. 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 lunar month, and at the gathering they would also admire the moon and eat mooncakes. At this time the fragrance of osmanthus rushed up to the sky and startled the immortals, so they sent an official to investigate. When the official reached the moon palace, he saw that all the osmanthus on the sacred tree of the moon palace, the treasure that stabilized the palace, had disappeared and had 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 loved eating mooncakes made from moon osmanthus the most. With all the osmanthus on the tree 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 without omission. After hearing it, the Jade Emperor could not say much more and inwardly 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 a plan that could both punish Wu Gang and agree to Wu Gang's request. He said, as long as you chop down the osmanthus, you may take it. So Wu Gang found a great axe and began chopping, wanting to quickly cut down the great tree, but the Jade Emperor cast a spell, so Wu Gang chopped year after year and kept chopping for thousands of years. Seeing that he could not cut down the tree, Wu Gang longed for home and missed his mother, so every year on Mid-Autumn night he dropped a branch of osmanthus onto Guabang Mountain to express his homesickness. Year after year, Guabang Mountain became covered with osmanthus, and the villagers used this osmanthus to make tea, and Xianning never had disaster again. Chang'e, from the same village as Wu Gang, had grown up with him as childhood sweethearts, innocent and carefree. After Wu Gang went to the moon palace, she always took care of 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 day by day. Wu Gang could not return because he could not cut down the osmanthus tree, and Chang'e, separated by heaven and earth, could not go to meet Wu Lang. Finally one day, the Queen Mother of the West took her seven daughters to bathe at Mingshui Spring below Guabang Mountain. Chang'e saw this and secretly took the seven fairy maidens' immortal elixir for returning to heaven, brought it home and ate it, then took her jade rabbit and went up to heaven to meet Wu Gang. The seven fairy maidens, having lost their immortal elixir, could not return to the heavenly court and could only wait for their elder sisters to bring it when they came to bathe again three days later, so that 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, below Liangying Mountain lived a widow who sold mountain grape wine. She was forthright and kind, 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 door, she suddenly saw a man lying outside the door, thin as a stick and barely clothed; he looked like a beggar. Fairy Wine Madam felt that he still had breath, so she carried him back home, first gave him hot soup, then fed him half a cup of wine, and 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, "A widow's door is a place of gossip." If a man like this stayed in her home, others would talk. But then she thought again, she could not just watch him freeze to death or 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 cared for the man with all her heart. Later, when people no longer came to buy wine and she truly could not keep going, the man also left without saying goodbye, no one knew where. Fairy Wine Madam was worried and looked everywhere for him. 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 wanted to help, the old man suddenly fell, and the dry firewood scattered all over the ground. The old man closed his eyes, his lips trembled, and he weakly called, "Water, water..." Where could water come from on a barren hillside? Fairy Wine Madam bit through her middle finger, and at once blood flowed out. She put her finger to the old man's mouth, and the old man suddenly disappeared. In a gust of clear wind, a yellow cloth bag flew down from the sky. The bag was filled with many small yellow paper packets, and there was also a yellow note with writing on it: The moon palace grants osmanthus seeds, rewarding kind households. With high fortune, the osmanthus tree is green; with high longevity, the tree is full of flowers. Pick flowers to brew osmanthus wine, first give it to father and mother. Wu Gang helps the good and sends disaster to the treacherous and slippery. Only then did Fairy Wine Madam understand that the paralyzed man and the old man carrying firewood were both transformed by Wu Gang. When this matter spread, people from near and far came to ask for osmanthus seeds. Kind people planted the osmanthus seeds, and soon osmanthus trees grew and osmanthus flowers bloomed, filling the courtyard with sweetness and infinite glory. For people with dishonest intentions, the osmanthus seeds they planted simply would not take root and sprout, making them feel ashamed, and from then on they cleansed their hearts 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 pass osmanthus seed wine to the human world. From then on, the human world had osmanthus and osmanthus wine.
Cultural heritage
The eighth lunar month was anciently called the osmanthus month. This month is the best time to enjoy osmanthus and also the best month to admire the moon. China's osmanthus and the Mid-Autumn bright moon have since ancient times been linked with the cultural life of our people. 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 cutting 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 a "fairy tree." Han Zicang of the Song Dynasty wrote in a poem: "In the moon there was a guest who once shared the planting; 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 leaped onto the seat of 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 distributes among clumping rocky ridges it is called "rock osmanthus"; because when it blooms its fragrance strikes the nose and its scent travels several li, it is also called "seven-li fragrance" and "nine-li fragrance."
Osmanthus belongs to the genus Osmanthus in the family Oleaceae. It originated in southwest, south, and east China. Wild resources currently exist in Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Hubei, Zhejiang, and other places, with cultivation most concentrated in cities such as Chengdu, Wuhan, Nanjing, Guilin, Hangzhou, and Suzhou. It is commonly planted from the Huai River basin to areas south of the lower reaches of the Yellow River. North of the Huai River, osmanthus has difficulty overwintering in the open ground, so pot cultivation is generally used, moving it into a greenhouse or cold cellar in winter to overwinter and maintain normal growth.
Osmanthus is cultivated in Japan and India. Since 1771, when China's osmanthus was introduced to Britain via Guangzhou and India, 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 flower 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. For vegetative propagation using branch cuttings, grafting, and layering, it can bloom in the same year.
A Song Dynasty record states: "When the moon is about to be full, the flowers are just right; after the flowers are about to fade, the moon wanes again. One should know that things in heaven and the human world alike receive the clear autumn at the same time," pointing out its basic flowering pattern: that is, every year on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month when the moon is full, osmanthus blooms profusely, 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 prefers sunlight and can also tolerate shade. Under full light its branches and leaves grow luxuriantly and it blooms densely; in shady places its branches and leaves are sparse and flowers are few. If potted indoors in the north, special attention must be paid to sufficient light to favor growth and flower bud formation.
The ancients recorded a great deal about the weather conditions for osmanthus flowering. Wang Jian of the Tang Dynasty wrote in "Watching the Moon on the Fifteenth Night": "Cold dew silently wets the osmanthus." Liu Zongyuan wrote, "Dew is dense on the osmanthus of the front mountain." Bai Juyi wrote, "Heaven uses autumn air to steam cold fragrance; the moon borrows golden waves to pick the yellow seeds." Lu You of the Song Dynasty wrote: "Heavy dew wet the fragrance on the quiet path at dawn; the slanting sun warms the stamens and the small window is beautiful." In the poems, "cold dew" and "dense dew" indicate that the flowering weather should be cold and cool in the morning and evening; "warming and steaming" indicate that the weather would also temporarily show relatively high temperatures. This kind of weather, cool in the morning and evening and hot during the day, is beneficial to the accumulation of nutrients in the osmanthus tree and also promotes the formation of rain and 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. Once osmanthus is steamed and warmed, it blooms profusely and abundantly. Osmanthus flowering requires a certain humidity and also 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 significance. "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. Passing the imperial examination and succeeding in official career are also called "plucking osmanthus," and those who obtain special honor are praised as having a "laurel crown."
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 "I make libation with osmanthus wine and pepper broth" and "Rapidly I ride in my osmanthus boat." Five hundred years ago, there was already a folk tradition of brewing fine osmanthus wine.
A small number of thousand-year-old 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's five main resource indicators, including the number of osmanthus varieties, number of ancient trees, base area, fresh osmanthus output, and osmanthus quality, have always maintained a leading position nationwide. Osmanthus is distributed across 45 townships in 6 counties and urban districts of the city, with the four major variety groups of golden osmanthus, silver osmanthus, red osmanthus, and four-season osmanthus, and nearly thirty osmanthus varieties. There are 1.5 million 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 twice named Xianning the "hometown of osmanthus"; in 2000, the state again named Xian'an District of Xianning City the only "hometown of Chinese osmanthus." With indisputable resource advantages, Xianning City has successively won many national honors. According to a special survey on osmanthus, compared with 1999, 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 nurtured 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 spread the fragrance of Xianning's osmanthus across the north and south of the country.
Lu'an
Lu'an Zhou, the setting of the TV drama "August Osmanthus Blooms Everywhere," is present-day Lu'an, and the instructors of the New Fourth Army's Southern Henan Cadre Training Class entered Lu'an Zhou to serve as political commissars in the guerrilla detachment at Huoying Mountain. Huoying Mountain here refers to Huoshan County in Lu'an. Lu'an is also called Lu'an, and because of the identical pronunciation, it is often written as Lu'an. It is one of China's largest and most concentrated osmanthus-producing regions. "August Osmanthus Blooms Everywhere" was adapted from the tune of the Dabie Mountains folk song "Eight Brocades" and has been sung ever since without losing popularity; there are multiple versions of where it originated. Since the 1980s, the birthplace of "August Osmanthus Blooms Everywhere" has sparked disputes among various places, with claims from Jiangxi, Sichuan, Hubei, Anhui and Henan.
Xinyang
"August Osmanthus Blooms Everywhere" was spread across the country by the "Red Sun Troupe" founded by Wang Jichu, becoming a classic of China's 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 has adopted osmanthus as its city flower. Xinyang City is located in southern Henan Province, bordering Anhui to the east and Hubei to the south. Xinyang has beautiful scenery and a pleasant climate.
Suzhou
Suzhou's city flower is osmanthus. Osmanthus is an evergreen tree of the Oleaceae family, and China has a history of cultivating it for more than two thousand years; it has been rated as one of the ten traditional famous flowers. A myth was once widely circulated among the people: it was said that there was an osmanthus tree in the moon, 500 zhang tall. Wu Gang, a man from Hexi in the Han Dynasty, was punished by being sent to the moon to cut down the osmanthus because he studied immortality but did not follow the rules of the Dao. But the tree healed as soon as it was cut and could never be felled; he toiled all year round and was only allowed to rest at Mid-Autumn when the osmanthus bloomed. Mao Zedong's line, "I ask Wu Gang what he has; Wu Gang presents osmanthus wine," is a vivid embellishment of this story. Through the ages, people have regarded osmanthus as an auspicious sign. Passing the imperial examination and succeeding in official career are called "plucking osmanthus." Those who gain 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 the one they love to express their admiration, hence the proverb, "A sprig of osmanthus is a heart; in the osmanthus grove a lifelong bond is made."
Hangzhou
Hangzhou's use of osmanthus as its city flower is not because the flower shape is so beautiful or so large, but because of its deeper meaning; osmanthus is a flower with inner qualities. First, its fragrance is rich, elegant and pleasant. Whenever osmanthus blooms in golden autumn, the whole city of Hangzhou is filled with its scent, making people feel relaxed and joyful. Second, poets and writers through the ages have chanted about Hangzhou's osmanthus countless times, which shows that osmanthus has a long history of cultivation in Hangzhou and has been loved by people for thousands of years. All tourists who visit Hangzhou during osmanthus season are captivated by it, and the fragrance of osmanthus has become a symbol of Hangzhou.
Guilin
Guilin's city flower is also osmanthus. In Guilin, this beautiful and world-famous tourist city, the Guilin landscape that is "the finest under heaven" has attracted 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
Dim and pale, light yellow, its nature gentle; its feeling distant, its traces far, only its fragrance remains.
Why need pale green or deep red? It is naturally the finest among flowers.
Plum must be jealous; chrysanthemum should be ashamed; where it blooms by the painted railing, it crowns the Mid-Autumn.
How could the poets be so lacking in feeling? Why was it not included back then?
"Tasting Osmanthus" by Zhang Yun'ao, Qing Dynasty
In August at West Lake there is enough for a pure outing; where does fragrance reach the nose in quiet seclusion?
Beside Manjuelong the golden grains are everywhere; heaven's 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 perch in the trees; cold dew falls silently, wetting the osmanthus.
Tonight everyone gazes at the bright moon; who knows in whose home autumn longing falls?
"Autumn Night Longing" by Zhu Shuzhen, Song Dynasty
Suppressing the west wind, it excels over all fragrances; for whom is the full autumn color so busy?
A single branch lightly placed beneath the study window; the person and the flower's heart each have their own fragrance.
When the moon is about to wax full, the flower is just right; after the flower is about to fade, the moon still wanes.
One should know that things in heaven and the human world alike all receive clear autumn in one moment.
"Osmanthus" by Lu Shengzhi, Song Dynasty
Alone it dominates the three autumn months and surpasses all fragrances; why praise orange green and orange yellow?
Since it was divided and fell from the moon at Mid-Autumn, indeed it seems to drift down with fragrance from the edge of heaven.
"Three Poems on the 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; regretting that it did not get a proper place, I composed three quatrains to lament it.
You fell originally from Tianzhu Temple; your roots now coil in Helü City.
At that time you should have fallen with the south wind, dropping into the human world and growing at random.
Though pressed by much frost and snow, you do not die; 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 whether she still wants more.
Fortunately the moon palace has idle land; why not plant two trees in the center?
Zhu Xi, Song Dynasty
Gracefully standing, 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 especially rich compared with other flowers.
With golden and emerald hairpins swaying, the person is like jade; blowing and stirring the tinkling ornaments, blowing and stirring the tinkling ornaments, just like meeting beneath the moon on a jade terrace.
On the branch tips, ten thousand dots adorn golden stamens; ten li of clear fragrance, ten li of clear fragrance, drawing out the long, elegant thoughts of a recluse.
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, the fading petals fall rustling yellow.
"Bird Cries in the Ravine" by Wang Wei
People are at leisure, osmanthus falls; the night is quiet, the spring mountain is empty.
The moon comes out and startles the mountain birds; from time to time they cry in the spring ravine.
"Osmanthus Blooms Again at Changsha Temple" by Chen Yuyi
Heaven sent the secluded flower to bloom twice; at dusk, Buddhist chanting releases here as I linger.
It does not let the lay believer lie on the meditation couch; it calls him out to the west chamber to look together.
"Lingyin Temple" by Song Zhiwen, Tang Dynasty poet
Osmanthus seeds fall from 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 the flowers bloom only to be plucked. Together in the human world we speak of heaven, not knowing that in heaven they remember the human world.
"Remembering Jiangnan" by Bai Juyi, Tang Dynasty
In the mountain temple, beneath the moon, I seek osmanthus seeds; on the commandery pavilion, pillowed, I watch the tide head.
"Sent to Zen Master Taoguang" by Bai Juyi, Tang Dynasty
I think from afar of where my master walks and practices the Dao; heavenly fragrance and osmanthus seeds fall in profusion.
"Remembering My Younger Brother Han" by Yu Chou
Hibiscus weeping dew is seen on the slope; osmanthus seeds drifting fragrance are heard beneath the moon.
The Flower Language of Osmanthus
Flower language: inhale your fragrance. Autumn osmanthus is like gold, representing "harvest."
The flower language of osmanthus is "inhale your breath."
Forever accompanying the beauty, the osmanthus tree is indeed an indoor 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 Images