Chimonanthus praecox is actually called Chimonanthus praecox It's not a plum blossom at all. The original meaning of this name is that its petals are like yellow beeswax and its fragrance is like plum blossoms. Also known as Chimonanthus praecox, and Prunus mume are completely different varieties of two families and two genera.
Chimonanthus belongs to Chimonanthus of Chimonanthaceae, which blooms early, from 165438+ 10 to March of the following year, which is the coldest time in a year. Plum blossom belongs to Prunus of Rosaceae, which blooms in February-March and in late winter and early spring. Plum blossoms have withered, but they can still relay. Chimonanthus praecox is the earliest and the latest in a year, connecting the preceding with the following.
We often say that plum blossoms bloom by themselves, but this is actually a beautiful misunderstanding. Plum blossoms are not as hardy as we thought. Its flowering temperature is 6~7℃, so it usually blooms in March ~ April in early spring, while Chimonanthus praecox can bloom in lunar calendar 10 at the earliest until February of the following year. In the coldest winter, the yellow petals give people a bright and warm feeling in winter, and at the same time, they emit a rich fragrance, which is intoxicating.
China is the origin of Chimonanthus praecox. Wild Chimonanthus praecox is mainly distributed in Shaanxi, Sichuan, Henan, Hunan, Hubei and other forest areas. There are many wild Chimonanthus praecox in Qinling and Daba Mountains. Its flowers are small, light in color and fragrance, purple in flowers and late in flowering. This kind of wintersweet is inferior. A good Chimonanthus praecox variety, with deep yellow color and rich fragrance, is called "Su Xin Chimonanthus praecox", also called lotus plum.
Chimonanthus praecox has many varieties. At present, there are four varieties, 12 *** 165. Its petals are not only yellow, but also dark yellow, purple yellow, silvery white and yellow white, and its stamens are red, purple and white.
Chimonanthus praecox likes cold, dry and sunny environment, and its roots are cold-resistant and drought-tolerant. It can resist the low temperature of-15℃ in winter and is more cold-resistant than European plum. Chimonanthus praecox can be planted in the south of Beijing, but if it blooms, the temperature should not be lower than-10℃, otherwise the flowers will be frostbitten.
Chimonanthus praecox can also bear fruit, which is different from plum. The fruit of Chimonanthus praecox is ugly, and the fruit, trunk and leaves all contain toxic alkaloids. Be careful when you maintain the flowers, and don't pick and eat them indiscriminately ~
Chimonanthus praecox is very fragrant and contains a variety of volatile oils. This is a good perfume plant. It can extract aromatic oil from petals. Some flower lovers will also use Chimonanthus praecox petals to smoke scented tea, but don't use them directly to make tea. There should be no problems.