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Whiff in the air: nature’s perfume heralds autumn

2014-09-23 15:27 Shanghai Daily Web Editor: Si Huan
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You don't need a calendar to know when it's September and October in Shanghai. You need only sniff the air around you.

That unmistakable whiff is the fragrance of osmanthus, a small, flowering tree in the Oleaceae family, mostly native to Asia. Some liken the perfume of the flower to the smell of ripe apricots.

In Minhang parks, osmanthus grow in abundance. One of the best sites for enjoying a wide variety of the trees is Minhang Sports Park.

Due to an unseasonably cool summer, the earliest osmanthus bloomed about two weeks earlier than usual last month. The distinctive fragrance didn't last for more than a week because rainstorms swept away most of the flowers.

Wujing Park has more than 200 osmanthus trees growing on both sides of the main pathway.

"This year, the osmanthus buds appeared when lotuses were still blooming, which is quite rare," said an official with the park. "But the peak blooming season of osmanthus will not come until early October. I believe the National Day holiday will be the best time to enjoy the fragrance here."

The newly opened Minhang Culture Park has small groves of osmanthus planted, but visitors will have to wait for several years before enjoying their full fragrance. Park officials say it could take up to five years for the trees to reach full maturity and for osmanthus perfume to permeate the area.

In China, osmanthus has been part of the culture for 2,500 years. In the Zhou Dynasty (11th century BC-256BC), osmanthus were planted as street trees, intermingled with pine. Early poets and ancient myths refer to the flower.

Perhaps the most famous tale relates to Wu Gang.

The myth goes that Wu killed a man who had been his wife's lover. As punishment, he was sent by an ancient god to the moon to cut down an osmanthus tree there.

He could not return home until the tree was felled. But every time Wu struck an axe to the tree, the cut healed itself instantly. In his hopeless task, Wu was given only one day a year off — the Mid-Autumn Festival. Hence, osmanthus is closely associated with the annual holiday.

Osmanthus trees are frequently used in formal Chinese gardens. The Chinese name gui has the same pronunciation as the word for "nobles," so many wealthy businessmen and high-ranking officials zealously planted the trees in their gardens.

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