Osmanthus is diverse. Osmanthus: description, useful properties, applications Osmanthus - home care
Arrived in the culture of European gardening from the mountainous districts of Nepal, China, India and Japan.
In these countries, you can find a plant at an altitude of more than 3500 m above sea level. This tree-like shrub will perfectly complement the winter garden, and during the flowering period it will saturate the room with a pleasant aroma.
Botanical description
(lat. Osmanthus) is a member of the family Maslinovs(lat. Oleacea). In the culture of home floriculture, you can find a species - Osmanthus odorous(lat. Osmanthus fragrans).
life form osmanthus- tree or shrub. Its leaves are leathery, large, reaching a length of up to 10 cm, dark green in color, obovate in shape.
The stems are gray-brown, becoming woody over time.
From June to August osmanthus begins the flowering period, which is accompanied by the appearance of corymbose inflorescences with small white flowers. During this period, osmanthus enchants with a pleasant sweetish aroma to all who contemplate its beauty.
AT room conditions osmanthus grows low. At the same time, flowering indoors is much longer and more abundant than in open ground conditions. The plant needs regular pruning in the spring to form a crown of the desired shape.
This is plant very unpretentious and can be kept in dynamic environments, but a warm attitude and a little more care guarantees a presence in the home garden beautiful view plant.
Lighting and temperature
unpretentious to lighting, but reacts very positively to the presence of a large amount of diffused light.
You can place a pot with a plant in the southern, southeastern and western parts of the house or premises.
Temperature for osmanthus, it is suitable at a level of +20 +25 ° С. AT winter period the plant can feel free in cool conditions and easily adapts to a temperature of +6 +8 ° С.
Humidity and watering
Humidity for osmanthus, it has a second meaning after temperature. Indicators at the level of 35-65% are great for normal plant growth and development. On very hot days, closer to the evening, osmanthus is recommended to be sprayed with soft warm water.
Watering should be carried out regularly and plentifully. Stagnation of water in the pan or waterlogging is not terrible for osmanthus, especially when there is good drainage at the bottom of the pot.
Watering osmanthus in winter, it should be reduced as the temperature drops.
Soil and fertilizer
The soil for osmanthus should have the quality of good permeability to water, have a slightly acidic reaction, be medium-fertile and medium-heavy in consistency. Plant transplantation is carried out as it grows. Tanks for this choose deep and spacious.
For earth mixture take:
- sod land (2 parts);
- leaf ground (1 part);
- sand (1 part);
- perlite (1 part).
Used as a leavening agent and soil moisture regulator. With abundant watering, the granules of this material gain excess water.
And during the period of active drying of the soil, moisture returns to the soil. So you can be sure that too hot periods the plant will have a small supply of water.
Fertilize osmanthus is predominantly complex mineral concentrates. Doses are used two to three times less than those recommended and are applied during the growing season along with irrigation. Once every 5-6 weeks will be enough for osmanthus.
reproduction
propagate Osmanthus is predominantly vegetatively grown using semi-lignified cuttings. Such planting material can be obtained with each new pruning of the plant.
cuttings incubated for several hours in Epin's solution. After that, they are planted in moistened sandy soil or and create the conditions of a mini-greenhouse. Temperature and humidity are maintained at +25 °С and 50%.
A few weeks later, young cuttings hardened and stretched a little. In this mode, you can keep them up to two months. After this period, young osmanthus plants can be transplanted into separate pots and cared for in the same way as adult plants.
Diseases and pests
Quite resistant to pests and diseases. For this tree, the manifestation of signs or associated with gross violations of the rules of care will be more likely.
So it is possible observe darkening of the tips of the leaves or their partial shedding. This happens when the soil is constantly waterlogged. If the veins on the leaf plates change their color, which also applies to the leaves themselves, then this sign may indicate a lack of minerals in the soil.
In general, osmanthus is a very grateful plant, especially when it gets a little more attention from the grower.
And for those who like to know more, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the video about osmanthus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnwgXni303g
Tea drinking is a special ritual that allows you to enjoy the aroma of a divine drink, relax, unwind, enjoy a friendly conversation over a cup of fragrant tea flavored with herbs and flower petals. One of the generally recognized leaders among fragrant and healthy drinks is osmanthus tea.
Osmanthus is an evergreen shrub with delicate small flowers and dark green glossy leaves. It belongs to the family of olive crops, and China is considered its homeland. The flowers of the plant are painted in a delicate palette - from light olive to cream and golden yellow. The flowering period lasts from September to April, filling the air with fragrance.
Osmanthus flowers have found use all over the world. The inhabitants of the Celestial Empire, being true experts in aromatherapy, appreciate the fragrant shrub for its qualities and have been widely used in many industries for more than two millennia.
Why is the osmanthus flower so attractive?
The main advantage is a unique fruity aroma, delicate, delicate and, at the same time, quite persistent. Connoisseurs describe it as a mixture of the smell of ripe peaches and apricots and sweet fresh pastries. The taste of fragrant osmanthus tea remains in the mouth for a long time after drinking tea.
It is not surprising that such a pleasant aroma is used in perfumery for the production of perfumes. He was given a romantic name - "memories of the Chinese garden." Osmanthus essential oil is the most expensive and valuable among all known. Chemical composition flower petals can affect the deep layers of the skin, prolonging its youth and freshness. That is why the Chinese used the fragrant olive in cosmetology since ancient times, and now it is an indispensable component in the production of skin cosmetics all over the world.
Useful properties of shrubs
Fragrant osmanthus (its flowers, stems and roots), due to the huge number useful qualities, have long been used in folk medicine East:
- Aromatherapy. Tea from dried flowers or infusion has a calming, relaxing effect, helps to get rid of anxiety and anxiety.
- Cough treatment. The medicinal decoction has a powerful expectorant, anti-inflammatory effect, thins and removes sputum when coughing, is effective for whooping cough, indigestion. Helps with inflammation of the gums, stomatitis, boils.
- Powerful antioxidant. It cleanses the body, removes toxic substances, reduces the level of "bad" cholesterol. It has strong antiseptic and anti-sclerotic properties, improves metabolism, promotes weight loss.
Contraindications
Like all medicinal herbs with potent properties, osmanthus has some restrictions on its use. In any form, it is not recommended to use it for pregnant women and nursing mothers, patients with epilepsy, children. It is also contraindicated in case of individual intolerance to the plant, manifestations of allergies and high blood pressure.
How to make osmanthus tea
The Chinese are true connoisseurs of all the intricacies of tea drinking. They are especially reverent about the “tea olive” and know exactly what sorts of tea can be combined with the aroma of fragrant flowers.
An infusion of dried flowers of the plant is called "Gui Hua Cha" in China. It is prepared separately, and then it can be added to black or green tea, or drink as an independent drink, which has an unusually pleasant wonderful fruity taste and delicate smell. Its miraculous qualities are manifested in any method of preparation.
Gourmets love to indulge in osmanthus and jasmine petal teas for a surprisingly bright and rich floral aroma combined with the sweet taste of ripe apricot and peach fruit.
Gui Hua Oolong is a blend of golden Osmanthus petals and Oolong, a semi-fermented green tea. Black pu-erh, which the Chinese call red, is also mixed with fragrant olive petals, and a unique, exquisite, fragrant Gui Hua Hong Cha tea is obtained. It is these two varieties of tea that are ideal for blending with osmanthus flower petals.
Golden Gui Hua Oolong has a special tart fruity taste, floral-honey aroma and a sweet aftertaste, perfectly relaxing and soothing. Tea can be consumed cold, its taste only benefits from this. But you need to cool and insist in a tightly sealed container to avoid oxidation and loss of beneficial properties.
It is best to brew Gui Hua Osmanthus in a transparent teapot, following the movement of light petals, color saturation.
- Preparation of tea by pouring: pour 5-7 g of dry mixture into 100-120 ml of water (90-95 degrees) and infuse for 10-20 seconds. Withstands 7-8 passages.
- With the European method of brewing: take 3-4 g of tea leaves (1 tsp), pour 200-250 ml of water at 90-95 ° C and leave for 2-3 minutes. Welding is used 1 time.
Red-brown Gui Hua Hong Cha with sweetish-tart notes in taste - tones and invigorates in the morning, and relieves fatigue in the evening.
An exceptionally healthy and exquisitely aromatic tea will deliver true moments of pleasure, cheer up, restore strength, and have a beneficial effect on the entire body.
Damask Rosa
Genus osmatnus ( Osmanthus) belongs to the olive family (Oleaceae), it includes about 30 species flowering plants, most of which are located in the warm Asian climate. In nature, these plants grow in a fairly wide geographical zone: from 36 to 45 degrees north latitude, from the Caucasus to Japan.
In the Himalayas, osmatnus can be found high in the mountains, for example, in Nepal they grow abundantly in mountain forests along with holly (Ilex dipyrena) and castanopsis (Castanopsis spp) - a kind of chestnut tree on which medicinal shiitake mushrooms grow. The name of these mushrooms is derived from the Japanese words take - "mushroom" and shii - "castanopsis".
Among all types of osmanthus stands out brightly fragrant osmanthus ( Osmanthus fragrans), in another way it is also called tea or fragrant olive.
It originates from China, there is even an area called Gui Ling, which in Chinese means "scented forest". Osmanthus has been growing in China for several thousand years and is considered by the Chinese to be one of the ten most beloved flowers.
As a traditional symbol of romantic love, osmanthus is used in Taiwan's ancient wedding ceremony. According to custom, the bride must bring in new family osmanthus and pomegranate grown by her in a pot with her own hands. A fragrant plant in this case symbolizes love and fidelity, a fruit plant symbolizes peace and fertility, and together such a gift means that a young wife is ready to give birth to her husband wonderful children, and the family will be rich in children and grandchildren.
Many legends are associated with osmanthus in China, because its flowers, among other things, are a symbol of the Chinese Moon Festival, which is celebrated in September - it is at this time that fragrant osmanthus begins its abundant flowering, which can last until spring.
At the height of the holiday, Chinese families gather in the garden or in the yard, eat traditional "moon cakes", and grandmothers tell old tales about the enchanted Chan E who lived on the moon, the giant Wu Gan, the magical Jade Rabbit and the huge fragrant osmanthus that guards the Moon Palace.
Here is what the ancient legends say:
The tale of Wu Gan and the osmanthus tells how the giant Wu Gan was punished by the Jade Emperor for his sin - he was insanely jealous. The emperor sent him to the moon, to the Guanhanyon Palace and gave him the task of cutting down the huge immortal osmanthus that grows in front of the palace. To cut down such a colossus was a completely hopeless and practically impossible business, since. the tree had magic power- cut off branches immediately grew again. An endless competition stretched out for thousands of years - Wu Gan chopped, and the tree not only immediately restored the damage inflicted on it, but also became even higher, wider and more beautiful. Finally, the tree grew so much that it completely covered the palace under its crown.
One of the most beloved characters in this tale is the Jade Rabbit, who grinds with a mortar the ingredients of the elixir of immortality, with the help of which the osmanthus remains alive forever.
And in the tale of the Moon Lady, it is said about how the Jade Emperor decided to reward his the best shooter from onions - give him the elixir of life: a sweet fragrant pill. And his wife, beautiful Chang E, decided to deceive her husband. She stole the pill while he was sleeping and, taking it, gained the ability to fly. She immediately soared into the air and flew and flew until she flew to the moon. There she became a prisoner in the cold Moon Palace, where she lived all alone. This was the punishment for her transgression. It is said that sometimes, on a full moon, you can see how the Moon Lady - that's how they began to call Chan E, sadly wanders along the moon. And the beautiful fragrant osmanthus, which grows in front of the Moon Palace, with its wonderful smell reminds her of her lost love and makes the repentant Chang E feel even more unhappy ..
Only the Jade Rabbit, the only inhabitant of the Palace, became her devoted friend. From time to time, Chang E asks him to take a mortar and pestle and prepare a magic pill for her so that she can return to earth, to her husband. But the Rabbit is busy all the time, because he is preparing the elixir of immortality for the beautiful osmanthus, and the unfortunate woman is still waiting for her turn to finally come ..
Famous Chinese gui hua cha- infusion of fragrant osmanthus petals - this is an incredibly delicate and unique, slightly sweet, fragrant drink that is drunk on its own or added to black or green tea. Even after drinking this fantastic drink, your breath remains fresh and fragrant for a long time.
Sometimes they simply make fragrant tea, for which they mix the tea leaves with dried osmanthus and jasmine flowers (Jasminum sambac), and then close this mixture in a hermetically sealed jar for two to three weeks, after which it is brewed in the usual way.
The Chinese use sun-dried osmanthus flowers in cooking, flavoring jams, soups, sweet biscuits, dumplings, and even making liquor out of them. Jam with the addition of osmanthus is used in the preparation of chatang, a traditional dish in northern China, a kind of liquid porridge made from millet or sorghum with sugar and jam.
In addition, a decoction of osmanthus flowers - good remedy from cough, compresses from a decoction of the bark are used in the treatment of severe suppuration - boils and carbuncles, it also helps with inflammation of the retina. Fragrant osmanthus is used in cosmetics as a skin and hair nourishing agent. Essential oil is made from flowers, and the flowers themselves are an excellent remedy for moths!
Fragrant osmanthus first came to Europe in the middle of the 19th century. It was brought there by a French Jesuit missionary, enthusiastic botanist Jean Marie Delaway. (1834 - 1895) . During his stay in China, J. M. Delaway described more than 4,000 plant species, of which 1,500 were previously unknown. Several of these plants now bear his name, including a species of osmanthus.
Fragrant osmanthus, depending on the conditions, can be a strong voluminous evergreen shrub or even grow into a small tree. It has simple opposite leathery, shiny leaves with serrated edges.
Very fragrant small white flowers with four-lobed tubular corollas (false petals) grow in small panicles. The wonderful smell of fragrant osmanthus flowers, a bit reminiscent of the smell of ripe peaches or apricots, is heard from afar..
The fruit of fragrant osmatus is a stone fruit (drupe) 10-15 mm in size, covered with a dense dark blue or purple skin, inside there is one seed.
Osmanthus flowers are bisexual, that is, each flower has both male and female characteristics. Usually osmanthus bloom begins in September or October, lasts all winter and almost all spring, until April, and sometimes until May. Osmanthus blooms not constantly, but in waves, in just a season it has from two to four waves of flowering.
The aroma of fragrant ostmanthus is provided by the breakdown of beta-carotene and other carotenoids - hydrocarbons that are actively involved in the formation of leaf pigment.
The yellow, orange, and red pigments act as antennas, absorbing light and then transferring its energy to form chlorophyll.
Chlorophyll molecules, in turn, convert solar energy into a chemical, which accumulates in the molecules of the resulting sugar.
Usually carotenoids "hide" under the mask of green chlorophyll. And when chlorophyll breaks down, carotenoids give us the opportunity to admire the magnificent spectacle of autumn foliage. Carotenoids also signal that the fruits are ripe: tomatoes turn red, carrots and tangerines turn orange, yellow hues are characteristic of ripe pineapples and lemons.
Beta-carotene is essential for vision. In the human body, its molecules break down into two molecules of retinol (vitamin A), which, in turn, turn into retinal, the pigment that allows us to see. It is carotenoids that make our world colorful. The whole warm spectrum becomes visible: we can see crocuses - yellow, flamingos - pink, and a rose - red. The breakdown of carotenoid derivatives gives plants flowers and leaves an odor, and fruits a taste.
So, for example, when beta-carotene is converted into beta-damascenone, consisting of 13 carbon compounds, the whole essence of the aroma of the Damascus rose is revealed. AT Crocus sativus beta-carotene is converted to ten-carbon safranal, which gives the plant its characteristic odor and bright color, provides its coloring ability.
And in our fragrant osmanthus, beta-carotene is converted into a 9-13-carbon mixture, which gives the smell of osmanthus that sensual, “thirsty” note for which perfumers appreciate it so much. You begin to feel this smell long before you see its source. At the beginning of the 20th century, this nostalgic-delicate smell inspired perfumers to create perfumes based on essential oil osmanthus.
Osmanthus fragrans can be not only white flowers . There are very beautiful hybrids : Apricot Gold with fragrant golden apricot flowers, Butter Yellow butter color, Osmanthus fragrans f. aurantiacus , blooming all autumn with pale orange flowers , Orange Supreme- very decorative osmatnus with bright orange flowers. There is also a hybrid Osmanthus x futurae, which is distinguished not only by the delicious smell of its flowers, but also has an unusual leaf shape resembling a holly. Sometimes it is called that - a fake holly.
Osmatnus fragrant is a wonderful plant, it can be grown equally successfully, both at home and in the garden. The plant grows well on light sandy soil, and on loam, and on heavy clay soils. It equally well perceives acidic, neutral and alkaline soil, it can grow even in very alkaline areas. In the first year of life, osmanthus, in order to form a deep and branched root system, need regular watering, but later the earth at the roots should not dry out. You can feed the plant with conventional fertilizers in early spring, before the formation of young shoots. To give an adult plant a neat shape, after flowering, pruning is performed.
Fragrant Osmatnus grows rather slowly, but it is easy to grow. It loves the sun and a little shade, is quite resistant to wind and cold, withstands slight frosts. However, with prolonged sub-zero temperatures or more severe frost, it may not survive.
Osmanthus reproduces well with 7-12 cm cuttings taken from an adult tree in September-October. Cuttings are best rooted in an unheated greenhouse or arranged on a windowsill in a cool room. Rooted seedlings can be planted in the soil only after 18 months, in the spring.
Osmanthus can also be propagated by seeds - the percentage of germination directly depends on the freshness of the seeds. Old seeds can also sprout if they are subjected to a semi-annual stratification before sowing: three months of warm and three months of cold.
Seeds germinate within 6-18 months, and seedlings can be transplanted into an individual pot only after they grow strong enough to live on their own. The first winter, seedlings are best placed in a greenhouse or kept at home, and transplanted into open ground needed at the beginning of summer.
By planting a fragrant osmanthus at home, you will forever be spared from the winter depression that this cold and dark season unwittingly casts - because it blooms all winter.
With wonderful aroma its flowers and a cup of fragrant gui hua cha, which is quite easy to make yourself, mixing good loose leaf tea with dried flowers of your own osmanthus, you will surely feel at least a little happier. And, looking out the window, finding the full moon in the dark winter sky, you will smile like an old acquaintance, the Jade Rabbit, who keeps pushing and pushing his elixir of immortality..
References:
Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London.
Manandhar. N.P. Plants and People of Nepal Timber Press. Oregon. 2002
Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E.S. Medical Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985
Baacciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 I
Stuart. Rev. G.A. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei.
If you hear something exotic, oriental or slightly ironic in this word, then your intuition did not disappoint. The emblem of the Chinese Hangzhou, the osmanthus flower enjoys well-deserved fame in Japan. There it is also called "tea olive", widely used as a means for the natural flavoring of this favorite drink. Fragrant osmanthus jam is served as a delicacy. Osmanthus grows mainly in Asia, it is a flowering shrub.
If everything is more or less clear with exoticism, then a touch of light irony that our person will catch in the name is introduced (unconsciously or intentionally?) Thanks to the main value of any flower - its aroma. But first, a little about the variety of colors.
Amber is more valuable
Four-toed, collected in inflorescences, on long thin legs, osmanthus flowers have a reddish, silvery-white or bright yellow color. It is the latter species that is most widely distributed, which is not surprising: like the bright orange carrot, it contains a record amount of carotenoids. So, it has the most wonderful qualities. Among which the incomparable aroma is in the lead.
If you pay attention to perfumes containing osmanthus in their composition, their price will certainly catch your eye. And this is no coincidence: only expensive perfume compositions contain precious osmanthus absolute.
And you can be sure of the sophistication and quality of such a fragrance. "Queen of Sheba" and the incomparable "Laila" or that guarantee.
Why is the aroma of osmanthus so attractive and remarkable? And what about the irony?
Imagine…
Before you is an amazing "live" still life: on a carved napkin made of natural suede there is a bouquet of violets and a crystal vase with fruit. Imagine the most ripe and fragrant apricot, drunk with all the generosity of the southern sun. You easily break the fruit into halves, drops of juice appear near the velvety skin. One of them suddenly breaks off and falls on a napkin. But you do not notice, you continue to taste the fruits: blue plums covered with a matte coating, ruddy peaches. Sweet fragrant juice now and then breaks from the fingers, and now the whole napkin has become spotty. The characteristic smell of suede is forever intertwined with fruity, and this, hand on heart, is so wonderful!
When meeting with an osmanthus, this picture will pop up in your memory.
The East will not hide!
In addition to its main meaning, osmanthus in perfumes serves to enhance the fruity beginning, and can also impart a sensual suede shade to floral and oriental compositions.
The East, since ancient times treating itself to osmanthus tea, showering the newlyweds with fragrant tea olive, extracting the precious absolute from its amber flowers, willingly shares its fragrant secrets with the West.
- a genus of evergreen shrubs and trees, which belongs to the Maslinov family.
In total, there are at least 30 species of osmanthus, but only one is grown indoors - "osmanthus variegated".
Having decided to grow this plant at home, you need to consider that a cool room will be required for its maintenance.
And so, caring for osmanthus is quite simple.
Moreover, osmanthus is used as the basis for various medicinal infusions and decoctions, and its flowers give the tea a special flavor.
Location and lighting
Osmanthus prefers bright lighting. It can tolerate a small amount of sunlight without problems.
Temperature
It is very important to keep osmanthus at home at a temperature not higher than 20 degrees, and at night it should not be higher than 15 degrees and not drop to minus.
Watering
Osmanthus does not like excess moisture, so it is watered moderately, even in summer no more than 3 times a week. Water only when the top layer of soil is dry. In winter, watering is generally practically stopped.
The exception is young plants. For the first 2 years of an osmanthus life, it needs generous watering, which helps to form a strong root system. Spray the plant only occasionally.
Osmanthus fertilizer
Top dressing is applied 2 times in each month of spring and summer. Fertilizer suitable liquid for indoor plants. It is brought diluted with water for irrigation.
Transplant and reproduction
Young osmanthus at home are transplanted annually in the spring. Over time, the growth of osmanthus slows down greatly and, then, transplants are carried out no more than 1 time in 5-6 years.
Osmanthus is propagated by cuttings. To do this, cut off a stem cutting about 10-15 cm long and plant it for rooting in a container with a sand-peat mixture. Then the future osmanthus is covered with a film or glass container to form greenhouse conditions.
Constantly carry out watering and ventilation. When the cutting takes root, it is transplanted into a pot.
Pests and their control
Pest damage most often occurs due to improper care. The most common "undesirable 
inhabitants" of osmanthus are
