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Chimonanthus praecox

Common name:	Winter Sweet	Family:	Calycanthaceae
Author:	(L.)Link.	Botanical references:	11, 109, 200
Synonyms:	Meratia praecox, Chimonanthus fragrans (Lindl.), Calycanthus praecox (L.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	E. Asia - China.
Habitat:	Cliffs in glens and gorges of Ichang province, 30 - 3000 metres[109]. Also found in Sichuan, Hubei and Chekiang.
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	C. praecox f. grandiflorus[G] Meratia praecox var. grandiflora[G]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Huang Mei Hua [E], La Mei [E], Wintersweet [H],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	monanthus = one anther; praecox = early ripening;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Laurales. Strawberry-shrub family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	China

Physical Characteristics

A decidious shrub growing to 3m by 3m at a medium rate. It is hardy to zone 7. It is in flower from November to March, and the seeds ripen from May to June. The scented flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 1/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline soil. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade.

Edible Uses

Flowers.

Flowers - thoroughly boiled and then washed[179]. Eaten with oil and salt[177, 183]. The flower petals are used to flavour and scent tea[183].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Sialagogue.

The flowers are sialagogue[178, 218].

Other Uses

Essential; Wood.

The flowers are very fragrant, they are used in pot-pourri and to make perfumes[1, 46, 61].
The wood, after soaking in water, polishes to a brilliant black finish[178].

Cultivation details

Requires a good soil in a sunny sheltered position[164, 200]. Badly drained or compacted soils may cause blotching or yellowing of the leaves[200]. Succeeds in most soils but it seems most at home on chalky ones[219].
A very ornamental plant[1], it is hardy to about -25°c[184]. It is best grown on a sunny wall, however, in order to protect the flowers and induce heavier flowering[11]. The flowers are very fragrant[182], but the plant can be very sparse flowering after cool summers[184]. Plants have a moderate rate of growth[202].
Plants take 5 - 12 years to flower from seed[182, 200]. The var. 'Grandiflorus' comes true from seed and has larger flowers than the type[78].
Plants flower profusely when established and left unpruned[219], if any pruning is necessary then it is best done immediately after flowering[184, 219]. The flowers are produced on the leaf axils of wood 3 - 4 years old[202]. The flowers emit a powerful sweet fragrance which can be smelt 50 yards away. The smell is like jonquil and violets[245]. When the fragrance is inhaled close to for any length of time the smell seems to disappear[245].
Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[200].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame[78, 200]. Pre-soak stored seed in tepid water for two hours, keep warm and moist for 3 days then chill for 5 - 8 weeks and sow in a cold frame[164]. Germination is usually good, though it is often slow and erratic, and takes place in 2 months or more at 13°c[78, 164]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame. Extremely difficult to root[11].
Layering in spring[200] or in July/August[78]. Takes 9 months[78]. Fair to good percentage[78].

Cultivars

'': There are some named forms for this species, but these have been developed for their ornamental value and not for their other uses. Unless you particularly require the special characteristics of any of these cultivars, we would generally recommend that you grow the natural species for its useful properties. We have, therefore, not listed the cultivars in this database[K].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Calycanthus praecox (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database

References for Chimonanthus fragrans (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.

References for the family Calycanthaceae.

To be included in the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[78] Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948
A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.

[109] Wilson. E. H. Plantae Wilsonae.
Details of the palnts collected by the plant collector E. H. Wilson on his travels in China. Gives some habitats. Not for the casual reader.

[164] Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan. 1990
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. A good article on Yuccas, one on Sagebrush (Artemesia spp) and another on Chaerophyllum bulbosum.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[178] Stuart. Rev. G. A. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre
A translation of an ancient Chinese herbal. Fascinating.

[179] Reid. B. E. Famine Foods of the Chiu-Huang Pen-ts'ao. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre 1977
A translation of an ancient Chinese book on edible wild foods. Fascinating.

[182] Thomas. G. S. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray 1992 ISBN 0-7195-5043-2
Contains a wide range of plants with a brief description, mainly of their ornamental value but also usually of cultivation details and varieties.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[184] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Shrubs. Pan Books 1989 ISBN 0-330-30258-2
Excellent photographs and a terse description of 1900 species and cultivars.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[202] Davis. B. Climbers and Wall Shrubs. Viking. 1990 ISBN 0-670-82929-3
Contains information on 2,000 species and cultivars, giving details of cultivation requirements. The text is terse but informative.

[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.

[219] Grey-Wilson. C. & Matthews. V. Gardening on Walls Collins 1983 ISBN 0-00-219220-0
A nice little book about plants for growing against walls and a small section on plants that can grow in walls.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

Readers Comments

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