Chimonanthus

Last updated

Chimonanthus
Chimonanthus Praecox, Xi'an city, China.jpg
Chimonanthus praecox flowers
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Magnoliids
Order: Laurales
Family: Calycanthaceae
Genus: Chimonanthus
Lindl.
Type species
Chimonanthus praecox
Species

See text

Synonyms

MeratiaLoiseleur-Deslongchamps
Sources: ING, [1] IPNI, [2] CPN [3]

Contents

Chimonanthus is a genus of flowering plants in the family Calycanthaceae, native to China, [4] but is also cultivated elsewhere in Asia, including Iran. [5] The genus includes three to six species depending on taxonomic interpretation; six are accepted by the Flora of China. The name means winter flower in Greek.

Description

They are deciduous or evergreen shrubs growing to 2–13 m tall. The leaves are opposite, entire, 7–20 cm long and 3–7 cm broad. The flowers are 2–3 cm wide, with numerous spirally-arranged yellow or white tepals; they are strongly scented, and produced in late winter or early spring before the new leaves. The fruit is an elliptic dry capsule 3–4 cm long.

Species

As of July 2020, Flora of China accepts the following species: [4]

Cultivation and uses

Chimonanthus salicifolius Chimonanthus salicifolius - Villa Thuret - DSC04788.JPG
Chimonanthus salicifolius

Chimonanthus praecox ("wintersweet") is the only species widely grown as an ornamental plant, for its spicily scented winter flowers; [6] these are also used in floristry as cut flowering branches, which can also be forced as with forsythia. The petals are quite waxy. The plant prefers medium exposure to sunlight or high dappled shade, [7] a fresh climate (hardy to USDA Zone 7), and soft, acidic permeable ground not waterlogged in winter. [8] A protected, south-facing wall encourages early flowering, and a position should be chosen where its spicy perfume can be appreciated while coming and going from the house. Space needs to be allowed for its eventual spread to 3 m (10 ft), since untimely summer pruning to keep an ill-sited shrub in check will sacrifice flowering the following winter.

In China Chimonanthus was domesticated during the Song Dynasty and inspired courtly poems from the eleventh century; it flowers at the Chinese New Year, when flowering sprigs are used as hair ornaments. In China, prunings are dried and kept to perfume linen cupboards. [9] The shrub was introduced to Japanese gardens from China in the early Edo period (probably between 1611 and 1629, according to Garden Plants of Japan [10] ). Its introduction into European gardens, from Japan, is noted for England, 1766, [11] when it was grown under glass for the sixth Earl of Coventry in the conservatory at Croome Court, Worcestershire. By 1799 that shrub had grown to be 16 feet high and 10 feet wide. By that time it had been tried out of doors without winter protection and proved hardy in the south of England. Slips of it were distributed among nurserymen and so it entered European horticulture. [12] A larger-flowered (though less fragrant) variety, "grandiflorus" was grown by the comtesse de Vandes in Bayswater, London, before 1819. [12] A yellow-flowered variety (luteus, 1814 [13] ) is also noted.

No notice has yet been found of Chimonanthus in an American colonial garden; [14] it was first offered in an American catalogue in 1811. [15] It is hardy at least to New York City, [16] where frosts interrupt, but do not stop the flowering.

The flowers are said to be edible., [17] and can be used to flavor tea.

At the end of its flowering, since it flowers most freely on ripened young wood and has little summer and autumn interest, it is thinned and pruned similarly to Forsythia by partly heading back and a few thick old stems removed at the ground.

Chimonanthus plants are frequently subject to attacks from aphids, and may be attacked by mites and leaf beetles.

Culture symbolism

Chimonanthus is often mistaken for Prunus mume, as its name in Chinese ends with the character 梅 (mei). Both flower in the winter to spring time and are symbols that a new year is coming. However, when referred as Three Friends of Winter or Sui Han San You, Prunus mume together with pine and bamboo, is a trio of plants that are highly appreciated in Chinese culture for their endurance in severe winters.

Related Research Articles

<i>Forsythia</i> Genus of flowering plants in the olive family Oleaceae

Forsythia, is a genus of flowering plants in the olive family Oleaceae. There are about 11 species, mostly native to eastern Asia, but one native to southeastern Europe. Forsythia – also one of the plant's common names – is named after William Forsyth.

<i>Prunus mume</i> East Asian tree species

Prunus mume is a Chinese tree species classified in the Armeniaca section of the genus Prunus subgenus Prunus. Its common names include Chinese plum,Japanese plum, and Japanese apricot. The flower, long a beloved subject in the traditional painting and poetry of Sinospheric countries, is usually called plum blossom. This distinct tree species is related to both the plum and apricot trees. Although generally referred to as a plum in English, it is more closely related to the apricot. In East Asian cuisine, the fruit of the tree is used in juices, as a flavouring for alcohol, as a pickle, and in sauces. It is also used in traditional medicine.

<i>Magnolia virginiana</i> Species of tree in the magnolia family, Magnoliaceae

Magnolia virginiana, most commonly known as sweetbay magnolia, or merely sweetbay, is a member of the magnolia family, Magnoliaceae. It was the first magnolia to be scientifically described under modern rules of botanical nomenclature, and is the type species of the genus Magnolia; as Magnolia is also the type genus of all flowering plants (magnoliophytes), this species in a sense typifies all flowering plants.

<i>Hesperis matronalis</i> Species of flowering plant in the cabbage family Brassicaceae

Hesperis matronalis is an herbaceous flowering plant species in the family Brassicaceae. It has numerous common names, including dame's rocket, damask-violet, dame's-violet, dames-wort, dame's gilliflower, night-scented gilliflower, queen's gilliflower, rogue's gilliflower, summer lilac, sweet rocket, mother-of-the-evening, Good & Plenties, and winter gilliflower.

<i>Mahonia</i> Genus of flowering plants belonging to the barberry family

Mahonia is a genus of approximately 70 species of evergreen shrubs and, rarely, small trees in the family Berberidaceae, native to eastern Asia, the Himalaya, North and Central America. They are closely related to the genus Berberis and botanists disagree on whether to recognize a separate Mahonia. Many botanists prefer to classify Mahonia as a part of Berberis because several species in both genera are able to hybridize, and because there are no consistent morphological differences between the two groups other than the leaf pinnation. However, recent DNA-based phylogenetic studies retain the two separate genera, by clarifying that unifoliolate-leaved Berberis s.s. is derived from within a paraphyletic group of shrubs bearing imparipinnate evergreen leaves, which are then divided into three genera: Mahonia, Alloberberis, and Moranothamnus ; a broadly-circumscribed Berberis would also be monophyletic.

<i>Calycanthus</i> Genus of flowering plants in the Magnoliid family Calycanthaceae

Calycanthus, called sweetshrub, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Calycanthaceae. The genus includes two to four species depending on taxonomic interpretation; three are accepted by most 21st century sources.

<i>Heliotropium arborescens</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Boraginaceae

Heliotropium arborescens, the garden heliotrope or just heliotrope, is a species of flowering plant in the borage family Boraginaceae, native to Bolivia, Colombia, and Peru. Growing to 1.2 m (3.9 ft) tall and broad, it is a bushy, evergreen, short-lived shrub with dense clusters of bright purple flowers, notable for their intense, rather vanilla-like fragrance. Common names also include cherry pie and common heliotrope. Note that the common name "garden heliotrope" may also refer to valerian, which is not closely related.

<i>Jasminum nudiflorum</i> Species of shrub

Jasminum nudiflorum, the winter jasmine, is a slender, deciduous shrub native to China. The flower's blossoming peaks right after winter, which is why it is also named Yingchun (迎春) in Chinese, which means "the flower that welcomes Spring". It is widely cultivated as an ornamental and is reportedly naturalized in France and in scattered locations in the United States.

<i>Iris chrysographes</i> Species of flowering plant

Iris chrysographes, the black iris, is a plant species that belongs to the genus Iris. It is native to Southern China and Myanmar (Burma), growing in meadows, streamsides, hillsides and forest margins.

<i>Chimonanthus praecox</i> Species of flowering plant

Chimonanthus praecox, also known as wintersweet and Japanese allspice, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Chimonanthus of the family Calycanthaceae, native to China. The plant is known as làméi in Chinese. The plant is also grown in Iran, where it is called gol-e yakh or "ice flower" in Persian.

<i>Forsythia suspensa</i> Species of flowering plant in the olive family Oleaceae

Forsythia suspensa, commonly known as weeping forsythia or golden-bell, is a species of flowering plant in the family Oleaceae, it is native to China.

Chimonanthus nitens is a species of the genus of wintersweetsChimonanthus and member of the family Calycanthaceae.

<i>Chimonanthus salicifolius</i> Species of flowering plant

Chimonanthus salicifolius is a species of the genus of wintersweetsChimonanthus and member of the family Calycanthaceae.

<i>Buddleja alternifolia</i> Species of plant

Buddleja alternifolia, known as alternate-leaved butterfly-bush, is a species of flowering plant in the figwort family, which is endemic to Gansu, China. A substantial deciduous shrub growing to 4 metres (13 ft) tall and wide, it bears grey-green leaves and graceful pendent racemes of scented lilac flowers in summer.

<i>Mahonia japonica</i> Species of flowering plant

Mahonia japonica is a species of flowering plant in the family Berberidaceae, native to Taiwan. Despite the name, it is not native to Japan, though it has been known in cultivation there for centuries. The wild origins of this species have long puzzled botanists, but wild plants in Taiwan, known under the name Mahonia tikushiensis, appear most similar to the cultivated forms of M. japonica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garden roses</span> Ornamental roses

Garden roses are predominantly hybrid roses that are grown as ornamental plants in private or public gardens. They are one of the most popular and widely cultivated groups of flowering plants, especially in temperate climates. An enormous number of garden cultivars have been produced, especially over the last two centuries, though roses have been known in the garden for millennia beforehand. While most garden roses are grown for their flowers, often in dedicated rose gardens, some are also valued for other reasons, such as having ornamental fruit, providing ground cover, or for hedging.

<i>Buddleja officinalis</i> Species of plant

Buddleja officinalis is a deciduous early-spring flowering shrub native to west Hubei, Sichuan, and Yunnan provinces in China. Discovered in 1875 by Pavel Piasetski, a surgeon in the Russian army, B. officinalis was named and described by Maximowicz in 1880. Introduced to western cultivation in 1908, B. officinalis was accorded the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Merit three years later, and the Award of Garden Merit in 2002.

<i>Iris graminea</i> Species of iris

Iris graminea is a species of flowering plant belonging to the subgenus Limniris of the genus Iris, in particular the series Spuriae. It is a rhizomatous perennial, with purple or violet blue flowers almost hidden by narrow, grass-like leaves, and a plum scented fragrance. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions. It has several common names, including grass-leaved flag, grass leaved iris, plum iris and plum tart iris. This species naturally occurs in the southern half of Europe, from Spain and France in the West to Russia and the Caucasus in the East.

<i>Roscoea humeana</i> Species of plant

Roscoea humeana is a species of flowering plant in the family Zingiberaceae. It is a perennial occurring in the Sichuan and Yunnan provinces of China. Most members of the ginger family, to which it belongs, are tropical, but R. humeana, like other species of Roscoea, grows in much colder mountainous regions. It is also grown as an ornamental plant in gardens.

<i>Roscoea praecox</i> Species of flowering plant

Roscoea praecox is a perennial herbaceous plant occurring in the Yunnan province of China. Most members of the ginger family (Zingiberaceae), to which it belongs, are tropical, but R. praecox, like other species of Roscoea, grows in much colder mountainous regions. It is sometimes grown as an ornamental plant in gardens.

References

  1. ↑ "Chimonanthus". Index Nominum Genericorum. International Association for Plant Taxonomy . Retrieved 2008-06-02.
  2. ↑ "Chimonanthus". International Plant Names Index (IPNI). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Harvard University Herbaria & Libraries; Australian National Botanic Gardens. 2008-06-02.
  3. ↑ "Chinese Plant Names" . Retrieved 2008-06-02.
  4. 1 2 "Chimonanthus". Flora of China . eFloras.org. Retrieved 2017-04-14.
  5. ↑ "راهنمای نگهداری و پرورش گل و گیاهان زینتی - گل یخ". نارگیل. 2012-07-01. Retrieved 2023-05-05.
  6. ↑ The large C. nitens is barely scented, and the late summer flowering of C. salicifolius is largely hidden by its leaves; they are grown as botanical curiosities.
  7. ↑ Sunlight is required to ripen the wood for profuse flowering.
  8. ↑ Problems stemming from waterlogged winter soils are noted by Michael W. Buffin, Winter-flowering Shrubs (Portland: Timber Press) 2005, p. 106.
  9. ↑ Alice M. Coats, Flowering Shrubs and Their Histories (1964) 1992, s.v. "Chimonanthus".
  10. ↑ Ran Levy-Yamamori and Gerard Taaffe, Garden Plants of Japan (Portland: Timber Press) 2004, p. 76f.
  11. ↑ Robert Sweet, Sweet's Hortus Britannicus (London: Ridgeway), 1827, p. 132, notes the 1766 introduction as Chimonanthus fragrans from Japan, in Botanical Magazine 1766, p. 466.
  12. 1 2 Coats (1964) 1992.
  13. ↑ The all-yellow large-flowered variety luteus in modern nursery catalogues is probably a later introduction, from Vilmorin, 1906, according to Alice Coats (1964) 1992.
  14. ↑ It is not listed in Ann Leighton, American Gardens in the Eighteenth Century: 'For Use and Delight' 1976.
  15. ↑ James R. Cothran, Gardens and Historic Plants of the Antebellum South (University of South Carolina Press), 2003, p. 266
  16. ↑ Large shrubs of Chimonanthus praecox may be found in an exposed location by the Belvedere Castle.
  17. ↑ "Chimonanthus praecox Winter Sweet PFAF Plant Database". pfaf.org. Retrieved 2020-03-13.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Chimonanthus at Wikimedia Commons Wikispecies-logo.svg Data related to Chimonanthus at Wikispecies

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.