Yongping Osmanthus

Yongping Osmanthus

　　Osmanthus, also known as sweet osmanthus, belongs to the genus Osmanthus in the family Oleaceae.

　　It is an evergreen tree and one of China’s ten traditional famous flowers. Admired for its beautiful tree shape, year-round green foliage, small yet fragrant blossoms, and far-reaching sweet scent, it is deeply loved by people.

　　In addition to its high ornamental value, osmanthus also has deep cultural roots. The Southern Song poet Yang Wanli wrote in his poem "Osmanthus": “Not planted in the human realm, but brought down from the moon. A whiff of fragrance from the Moon Palace, blown to fill the hills.” This blends poetic sentiment with beautiful myth, giving osmanthus even more unique charm. The Song Dynasty scholar Fan Chengda stated in "Guihai Yuheng Zhi": “Osmanthus is an extraordinary tree of the south, and also a noble medicine. Guilin is named after it, though the place itself does not actually produce it—it mainly comes from Binyang Prefecture. All other tree leaves have one vertical vein, but osmanthus alone has two veins, shaped like a jade tablet—perhaps the inspiration for the character design came from this.” Song Bangji wrote in "Mohuzhuang Manlu": “Osmanthus flowers are abundant in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, exuding a rich and refreshing fragrance unmatched by other flowers. In Hunan, it is called 'Nine-Li Fragrance'; in the regions east of the Yangtze, it is called 'Rock Osmanthus'; and people in Zhejiang call it 'Wood Rhinoceros' because its wood grain resembles that of a rhino horn.” Hence, osmanthus is also known as “wood rhinoceros” (木犀).

　　The main varieties of osmanthus in Yongping include Golden Osmanthus, Silver Osmanthus, Red Osmanthus, Moon Osmanthus, and Four-Season Osmanthus.

　　Source: Dali Prefecture Tourism Development and Management Committee