Detailed introduction
Wintersweet tree is 4-5 meters high, often tufted, with opposite leaves, nearly leathery, elliptic-ovate to ovate-lanceolate, tapering at the apex, entire, and buds with many imbricate scales. The leaves bloom first at the end of winter, and the flowers are solitary in the axils of annual branches, with short stalks and cup-shaped receptacle. Many tepals are arranged in a spiral shape, yellow and waxy, with a flowering period of 12- 1 month and a strong fragrance. It is a precious flower unique to China, and its life span is as long as 100 years. It is distributed in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hubei, Sichuan and Shaanxi, and is now widely cultivated as an ornamental plant. It blooms in the cold winter months and spreads all over the south of the Yangtze River, so it is called wintersweet. Sex likes sunshine, can withstand shade, cold, drought and avoid waterlogging.
Chimonanthus praecox blooms proudly in frosty and snowy days, with yellow flowers like wax and fragrant smell.
Chimonanthus praecox is a typical winter flower with China garden characteristics. Generally, it is arranged in the garden in the form of natural solitary planting, opposite planting, row planting, forest planting, flower pond and flower terrace. Chimonanthus praecox has a strong fragrance and can extract aromatic oil, which is a medicine for relieving summer heat and promoting fluid production. The flower buds are soaked in sesame oil, which can be used externally to treat burns and stems, and has the effect of relieving cough and asthma.
Chimonanthus praecox is proud of frost and snow, and it is in full bloom in the cold winter. Originally called Huangmei, the color is light yellow. The flower of Chimonanthus praecox is like wax, so Su Dongpo has a poem saying: "Bees pick flowers for yellow wax, and yellow wax is also a flower thing"; Huang Tingjian also wrote a poem: "Behind the Wen Jun Temple, wild flowers bloom and the honey is as yellow as a palace.". The name of wintersweet comes from this.
Chimonanthus praecox originated in Central China, with Hubei and Shaanxi as the central producing areas. In recent years, a large area of Chimonanthus praecox was found in Shennongjia primeval forest mountain area in western Hubei, which further proved that China was the origin of Chimonanthus praecox. Now Yanling, Yangzhou, Shanghai, Wuhan, Chongqing and Chengdu are particularly concentrated. The cultivation of Chimonanthus praecox abroad is common in Japan and South Korea, but not common in Europe and America.
The Chimonanthus praecox in Shennongjia hangs horizontally in the rock, opens at the top of icicle ridge, and faces the wind in Ao Shuang, and its fragrance floats in the sky. After Leng Xue, it was another scenery: "See sunny snow among flowers, smell fragrant wind among flowers."
Chimonanthus praecox is a deciduous shrub of Chimonanthaceae, with a height of 2 ~ 4 meters. The single leaf is opposite, ovoid, ovoid, with bristles on the surface and smooth back. Flowers are solitary in the axils of annual branches. Pedicel is very short. There are many imbricate scales outside the bud. They bloom first and then grow leaves. These flowers are yellow and waxy. The petals of the outer wheel are larger, and the petals of the inner wheel are shorter with purple-brown stripes. The flowering period is 65438+February to the following February. It is the twelfth month of winter, also called "Chimonanthus praecox". "a gust of wind enters the twilight overnight, and the frozen core is fragrant; Twenty-four times, Chunkui gave way to Jun first. " Chimonanthus praecox is a blooming flower, which blooms against snowflakes and brings the news of spring in the dead of winter.
Chimonanthus praecox is called plum blossom, but it is not actually plum blossom. "Compendium of Materia Medica" said: Chimonanthus praecox "this thing is not plum, because it is similar to plum at the same time, and its color is like beeswax, hence the name". This explanation is correct because Chimonanthus praecox and Prunus mume belong to Rosaceae.
Chimonanthus praecox was cultivated in Song Dynasty in China. Now gardens south of Beijing are widely planted, among which Chimonanthus praecox in Yanling, Henan Province is the most famous. In Yaojia Village of this county, wintersweet is planted in every household, which is known as "Yao Jia wintersweet is the best in the world".
There are not many varieties of Chimonanthus praecox, which are divided by color, with vegetarian heart and fleshy heart. Petals, flower hearts and stamens are all yellow, and those without variegated colors are called vegetarian species. Among them, Chimonanthus praecox has round petals, large corolla and rich fragrance. When it fades, the flower is still half closed and shaped like a mouth, which is the crown of all kinds. The outer petal is yellow, the center of the inner petal is purple, and the impure color is the fleshy heart. Chimonanthus praecox has a reddish-brown petal tip and a reddish-brown inner edge. The flowers are small and fragrant, and the variety is poor.
Chimonanthus praecox likes sunshine, but it is also resistant to shade and cold. As the saying goes, "Chimonanthus praecox never dies after drought, but citrus never dies after waterlogging." Chimonanthus praecox has strong adaptability and can be cultivated everywhere except saline-alkali land. It is best to plant it in the leeward, and the soil with good drainage will bloom better. The propagation methods of Chimonanthus praecox include grafting, rameting, cutting and layering. Open-air planting can be carried out on walls, slopes and Chi Pan, and potted plants can be planted in the north.
The flower of Chimonanthus praecox can extract aromatic oil, the bud can be soaked with oil as scald medicine, and the root and stem can also be used as medicine.