Chimonanthus
From Freepedia
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| Image:Chimonanthus praecox0.jpg Chimonanthus praecox flower | ||||||||||||
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Chimonanthus nitens |
Chimonanthus (wintersweet) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Calycanthaceae, endemic to China. The genus includes three to six species depending on taxonomic interpretation; three are accepted by the Draft Flora of China.
They are deciduous shrubs growing to 2-4 m tall. The leaves are opposite, entire, 7-20 cm long and 3-7 cm broad. The flowers are produced in late winter or early spring before the leaves, 2-3 cm broad, with numerous spirally-arranged yellow or white tepals; they are strongly scented. The fruit is an elliptic dry capsule 3-4 cm long.
Chimonanthus praecox is widely grown as an ornamental plant for its scented flowers.
