Text丨Heart beads are long, typesetting丨Heart beads are long
I went to the long-distance bus station with my daughter on the weekend, and when I was about to arrive at Xigonggonghe Road, I saw a tree with white flowers at a glance.
The petals grow into thin strips and are full of flowers. My daughter wasn't very interested in plants, but when she saw it, she immediately liked it.
It is the "tassel tree".
I only heard his name before, but I didn't see his real body, but now I can be regarded as really seeing it. Today, I would like to talk to you about the "Tassel Tree".
01
Tassel tree, a deciduous shrub or tree of the family Rhinoceraceae, can reach a height of up to 20 meters. The one I saw was about three or four meters tall, and it was relatively young.
The leaves of the tassel tree are oblong, oval, or rounded, and sometimes ovate or obovate to obovate-lanceolate. The tips of the leaves are rounded and blunt, sometimes concave or acute.
Looking at the picture above, the tip of the leaf below is concave, and the two leaves next to the flower spike are pointed. This subtle change in the blade makes it look more vivid.
Its leaves, slightly curled. The blade margins are small serrated or entire. On the short flowering branches, the leaves are alternately opposite.
Its flowers, born at the tips of the branches, are clustered umbel-shaped panicles. The florets are distinctive, the corolla is white, lobed into 4 long strips, the lobes are linear-lanceolate, and the length is 1.2-2.5 cm.
The slender petals, like "paper flowers" cut neatly with scissors, are much more agile than paper flowers because they are alive.
According to the data, its flowers are unisexual and dioecious or bisexual. I didn't pay attention to its stamens, just the appearance.
The flowering period is from March to June, and the fruiting period is from June to November. Come back in a few days to see its fruit.
02
When it comes to tassels, I always think of Zhang Ailing, in her novel "Love in a Fallen City", the heroine's name is white tassel.
When I read this novel in high school and saw the name, I thought of the "tassel tassel" on the costume, and I felt very strange, why did I call it such a name, don't you think it's too "fancy"?
Later, the novel was made into a TV series, and the white tassel played by Chen Shu wears a cheongsam, a kind of classical beauty.
Didn't realize at the time that the original white tassel could be a tree. The tree is quite tall, some can reach 20 meters.
I once took it for granted that the tassel tree was a southern plant, but I realized that there were many tassel trees in Shandong.
Zibo is one of the areas where tassel trees are planted more, and there is a Tuquan village in Zichuan, where there are many tassel trees, some of which can be more than 1,000 years old.
The tassel turned out to be such a "longevity tree". When you are old, the flowers are blooming, and it is really a grand scene.
The tassel tree is also called April Snow, and the name is poetic, in keeping with its season and temperament.
In April, it is the flowering period of tassels, go to Zibo to have a barbecue, look at the tassel tree, think about it is really a beautiful thing.
Just brushed, the Meng Mansion in Zou Cheng also has tassel trees, which are blooming now. The drone photographed it, and a white tree and flowers, in the middle of a circle of cyan houses and ancient houses, were very gorgeous.
A humorous friend in the comment area said "Shandong's big cauliflower".
At first glance, it is really quite an image, a big "cauliflower". In this way, the tassel tree is commonly known as "white cauliflower" in Shaanxi, which is also appropriate.
The tassel tree is also called "glutinous rice flower", I wonder if it is because of the color?
03
The tassel tree is a tree with high ornamental value and has been cultivated in the mainland for many years.
It likes light, does not tolerate concealment, is drought-tolerant, slightly cold-tolerant, barren and thin, has a certain ability to tolerate salt and alkali, and its adaptability is also okay.
It has a long lifespan, but the growth rate is a little slow, and it is a relatively rare garden ornamental plant.
In addition to ornamental, its flowers and young leaves can be used to make tea, and the fruit can be refined into aromatic oils. Wood is also available and can be used to make utensils.
It's a pity to think about such a precious tree species to make utensils.
As for its flowers, just for ornamentation are pleasant enough, and how extravagant it must be to make tea!
The flowers are like snow trees, first flowers and then leaves or flowers and leaves at the same time, even if the leaves are growing, it can't cover its flowers, and it is really in place to describe it with "white clothes win snow".
Well, the above is a little bit of knowledge about the tassel tree, I hope you like it.
About the Author
Heart-Beads: Intermediate Agronomist, Plant Lover. Welcome to "Wandering Grass and Trees" to share plant knowledge and experience the beauty of the countryside. The heart of grass and trees, the taste of the countryside, savoring, wandering!