Osmanthus preserves memories, provides livelihoods

Mystery and poetry

The flower and the moon have been associated with each other since ancient times. The Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) classic Huainanzi records a legend about an osmanthus tree growing on the moon, a myth that reflects people's enduring reverie about the moon.

The association runs deep. One well-known story tells of Wu Gang, a man punished by the Jade Emperor and ordered to chop down a giant osmanthus tree on the moon. The tree healed itself after every ax wound, leaving Wu Gang to cut it down endlessly.

If the myth lends the osmanthus its mystery, its quiet beauty lends it its poetry.

The Song Dynasty (960-1279) poet Li Qingzhao wrote of the flower: "Pale, faint yellow, soft in its way. Aloof and far, it leaves but scent to stay. Why need pale green or deep red hue? It is the finest flower, the first in view."

Autumn gives the tree much of its cultural power. It is the harvest season, and osmanthus flowers bloom mostly in yellow and red, colors traditionally associated with wealth and good fortune, Zhu said.

"The golden osmanthus is especially prized. When the tree is in full bloom, it seems to turn golden itself," he said.

The flower is also prized for its fragrance, which can carry for miles.

"A single tree can fill an entire neighborhood. It produces little pollen, so it is unlikely to trigger allergies, and its fragrance is delicate rather than overpowering," Zhu said.

Osmanthus is valued for its longevity as well. It is an evergreen tree, and some specimens can live for more than 1,000 years, he said.

For large public projects, municipal landscaping and factory grounds, the tree symbolizes an enduring foundation. In private gardens, it is traditionally seen as a wish for distinction and good fortune for one's children.

For Yang Jingyi, 28, osmanthus was not part of her childhood. She grew up in a small city in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, where the flower is not commonly grown. She first encountered it at university in Hunan province.

For Yang, its scent is closely tied to memories of growing up.

"University was a new experience, and the smell means a lot," she said.

While at university, Yang rented a flat on the third floor, with an osmanthus tree standing outside her window. When it bloomed, she would open the window, make osmanthus-flavored lotus root powder and breathe in the scent through the sheer curtain.

She also made many friends through part-time jobs. They camped and climbed mountains together.

"The fragrance of osmanthus carries that memory with it, so thinking back makes me feel happy," she said.

Early last year, Yang bought an osmanthus tree. She repotted, watered and pruned it, and it bloomed two or three times. Then her mother suggested moving it to a bigger pot because its roots had filled the old one. They repotted it together, but damaged the roots in the process, and the tree never recovered.

"I haven't planted one since. Indoors confines it. Outdoors suits it better. Like people, it needs wind and sun to grow strong," she said.

Age-old cultivation

For growers, success depends not only on careful handling but also on the variety. Beyond the familiar golden, silver and red osmanthus, there is the four-season osmanthus, which can flower for around 200 days a year.

Zhu said it stops blooming mainly during the hottest summer months but flowers for much of the rest of the year. Most common varieties flower in August and September.

Although the four-season osmanthus blooms for much of the year, it generally does not grow tall outside southern areas such as the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region and Guangdong province. Only in such places can it develop into a large tree. Elsewhere, it usually remains a small tree or shrub.

By contrast, golden osmanthus can reach up to 20 meters. That is why four-season osmanthus is often planted alongside taller varieties to create a more attractive display, Zhu said.

"Together, they can provide flowers and fragrance for much of the year," he said.

Common osmanthus varieties can be grown in areas south of the Yellow River. Farther north, conditions are less suitable. For example, osmanthus varieties grown in Chengdu can be planted as far north as Zhengzhou, Henan province, but there they survive rather than thrive, Zhu said.

Where conditions are favorable, however, osmanthus cultivation can grow far beyond a garden pastime. Nowhere is this more evident than in Xianning, Hubei province.

Osmanthus cultivation there dates back more than 2,300 years, with large-scale cultivation beginning in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), Xianning Daily reported in June.

Today, Xianning is home to about 2,500 ancient osmanthus trees that are more than a century old, accounting for more than 90 percent of the national total, along with a small number of millennium-old trees. The city now produces 1,100 metric tons of fresh osmanthus flowers a year.

Its osmanthus industry spans the entire value chain, from cultivation and processing to cultural tourism. Its product range has expanded from traditional osmanthus crisp candies and osmanthus cakes to high-value-added products such as osmanthus wine, essential oils, fragrances and skin care products, giving the industry strong market potential.