What are the characteristics of plum blossoms?
The web introduces the characteristics of plum blossoms and a comprehensive collection of information about plum blossoms in the green plant flower category. Let's take a look together!
Plum: A small tree, rarely a shrub, 4-10 meters high; the bark is light gray or slightly green, smooth; young branches are green, smooth and hairless. The leaves are ovate or elliptical, with small sharp teeth on the edges, gray-green. The flowers are single or sometimes 2 flowers together in 1 bud, 2-2.5 cm in diameter, with a strong fragrance, blooming before the leaves; the calyx is usually reddish-brown, but some varieties have green or green-purple calyces; petals are obovate, white to pink. The fruit is nearly spherical, 2-3 cm in diameter, yellow or greenish-white, covered with downy hair, sour in taste; the flesh sticks to the stone; the stone is elliptical, slightly flattened on both sides. The flowering period is winter to spring, and the fruiting period is May to June. 2n=16, 24.
Plum is native to southern China and has a cultivation history of more than 3000 years. There are many varieties for ornamental or fruit trees. Many types are not only grown outdoors for ornamental purposes but can also be grown as potted plants and used to make plum stakes. Fresh flowers can be used to extract essential oils, and the flowers, leaves, roots, and seeds can all be used as medicine. The fruit can be eaten, salted, dried, or smoked to make black plums for medicinal use, which have the effects of stopping cough, diarrhea, promoting salivation, and quenching thirst. Plum can also resist root nematode damage and can be used as a rootstock for stone fruit trees.
Plum blossom is the first among the top ten famous flowers in China, and is listed as one of the "Four Gentlemen" along with orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum, and together with pine and bamboo, it is known as the "Three Companions in Cold Winter". In Chinese traditional culture, the plum blossom, with its noble, strong, and modest character, inspires people to strive and aspire. In the severe cold, the plum blossom precedes all flowers, blooming alone and ushering in spring.
Plum is a traditional Chinese fruit with a history of more than 3000 years of use. The Book of Songs says, "If you make a good soup, you must use salted plums." The Book of Rites says, "Among all the fruits, there are plums and salted eggs." The Book of Songs says, "Plums are so beautiful, with seven of them." References to plums are also found in the poems "Qin Wind·Zhongnan", "Chen Wind·Tomb Gate", and "Cao Wind·Cormorant", among others. These ancient texts indicate that in ancient times, plums were used as a seasoning, indispensable for offerings, cooking, and gifts. At least as early as the Spring and Autumn period, 2500 years ago, wild plums began to be cultivated into domesticated plums - fruiting plums. In 1975, Chinese archaeologists found plum stones in a Shang Dynasty bronze cauldron at the Yinruins in Anyang, which shows that as early as 3200 years ago, plums were used as food.
The plum is a small tree, rarely a shrub, 4-10 meters high; the bark is light gray or slightly green, smooth; young branches are green, smooth and hairless. The leaves are ovate or elliptical, 4-8 cm long, 2.5-5 cm wide, with a pointed apex, a wide cuneate to rounded base, and usually with small sharp teeth on the edges, gray-green, pubescent when young, gradually shedding when mature, or only with short pubescence in the axils of the veins; the petiole is 1-2 cm long, pubescent when young, glabrous when old, often with glands.
Flowers are single or sometimes 2 flowers together in 1 bud, 2-2.5 cm in diameter, with a strong fragrance, blooming before the leaves; the pedicel is short, about 1-3 mm long, often hairless; the calyx is usually reddish-brown, but some varieties have green or green-purple calyces; the calyx tube is broadly campanulate, glabrous or sometimes pubescent; the sepals are ovate or suborbicular, obtuse at the apex; the petals are obovate, white to pink; the stamens are short or slightly longer than the petals; the ovary is densely pubescent, the style is short or slightly longer than the stamens.
The fruit is nearly spherical, 2-3 cm in diameter, yellow or greenish-white, covered with downy hair, sour in taste; the flesh sticks to the stone; the stone is elliptical, rounded at the apex with a small projection, narrowed at the base into a cuneate shape, slightly flattened on both sides, the ventral carpel is slightly blunt, and both the ventral and dorsal carpels have distinct longitudinal grooves, the surface with honeycomb-like holes. The flowering period is winter to spring, and the fruiting period is May to June (in North China, the fruiting period extends to July to August). 2n=16, 24.
There are many variants and varieties, which can be divided into flowering plums and fruiting plums. Flowering plums are mainly for ornamental purposes. Fruiting plums are mainly used for processing or medicinal purposes, generally processed into various preserved fruits and jams; green plums are processed into black plums for medicinal use, which are astringents and can treat dysentery, and have the effects of stopping cough, expectorating phlegm, reducing fever, and killing worms, and are also used as a raw material for extracting citric acid; the flower buds can open the stomach, disperse depression, promote saliva and phlegm, and detoxify blood; the roots ground into powder are effective for jaundice. This plant is sensitive to hydrogen fluoride pollution and can be used to monitor atmospheric fluoride pollution. Unripe fruits contain citric acid, malic acid, succinic acid, etc.; seeds contain amygdalin; flowers contain volatile oils, which contain benzaldehyde, benzoic acid, etc.
Plum blossoms are best planted in courtyards, lawns, and low mountains and hills, and can be planted singly, in groups, or in clusters. They can also be potted for ornamental purposes or trimmed into various stake landscapes, or used as cut flowers for indoor decoration.
Ancient Chinese literati had a special fondness for plum blossoms and considered it a refined activity to admire them. The essence of plum appreciation lies in the "exploration" of its color, fragrance, shape, rhythm, and timing.
Color: Plum blossoms come in a variety of colors, including purplish red, pink, light yellow, light ink, and pure white. "Red plum" has a very beautiful shape and a strong fragrance; "Green calyx" has white petals, green sepals, and double white petals with an intoxicating fragrance; "Purple plum" has double purple petals with a light fragrance; "Bone red" has deep red double petals, and the color does not fade when it wilts, the wood is similar to redwood; "Jade butterfly" has white petals with a hint of light red, with single or double petals, gentle and elegant. Planting tens of thousands of plum blossoms in clusters creates a spectacular scene of疏枝缀玉缤纷怒放, some as brilliant as dawn, some as white as snow, some as green as jade, forming a sea of plum blossoms凝云,云蒸霞蔚.
Fragrance: The fragrance of plum blossoms is unique and elegant, and has been praised by scholars and literati throughout the ages as a "secret fragrance". "Intentionally searching for fragrance, it does not fragrance, the fragrance is in the place where it cannot be found" makes it elusive yet always refreshing and intoxicating. During plum blossom season, strolling among the flowers, with gentle breezes blowing through the plum forest, is like immersing oneself in a sea of fragrance, with the whole body permeated with fragrance.
Shape: Ancient people believed that "the shape and posture are the most important for plum blossoms", that is, the shape and posture. The shapes include bowing, reclining, sideways, lying down, depending, and longing, and the postures are divided into erect, curved, and oblique. The bark of plum trees is black and rough, the branches are twists and turns, strong and sturdy, with a rough and unyielding macho beauty. The branches of plum blossoms are clear, distinct, and harmonious in color, either winding like a dragon or falling down, changeable and rhythmic, presenting a strong sense of power and line rhythm.
Rhythm: The Song Dynasty poet Fan Chengda said in "Plum Specimens": "Plum blossoms excel in rhythm and grace, therefore, the value is in the horizontal, oblique, sparse, and thin branches and old枝怪石." Therefore, in the poems and paintings of poets and painters, the shape of plum blossoms always involves the four words: horizontal, oblique, sparse, and thin. The standard for appreciating plum rhythm is to value rarity over density, old age over youth, thinness over fatness, and containing over blooming, known as the "four treasures of plum rhythm".
Time: It is important to appreciate plum blossoms at the right time. Too early, and they are buds; too late, and they are falling. Ancient people believed that "the flower is best when it is about to bloom but not yet open", that is, the time when the plum blossom is in bud is the best for appreciation, hence the name "exploring plum blossoms". Plum blossoms are expected to bloom around "Jingzhe", usually 10 days before and after Jingzhe is the best time to explore spring plums. The situation of appreciating plum blossoms is also very particular.
Plum, "alone in the world and spring", as a symbol of heralding spring and good news, has been considered an auspicious object by the Chinese from ancient times to the present. "Plum has four virtues, the beginning is the origin, the blooming is the prosperity, the bearing fruit is the benefit, and the maturation is the chastity." This is the "origin, prosperity, benefit, and chastity" of the plum. Plum blossoms have five petals, symbolizing five blessings: joy, happiness, longevity, smoothness, and peace.
The introduction above about the characteristics of plum blossoms and the comprehensive introduction of plum blossom information is hoped to bring some knowledge about green plants to green plant enthusiasts.