It is not tall, there are light brown spots on the dark brown branches, and there are several "big eyes" growing from the top of the branches. One branch is three strands. There are little fluffy balls hanging from the bare branches.
Have you heard the story of such a happy ending?
More than 2,200 years ago, when a pair of men and women who were in love with each other were forced to break up because of "going the wrong way", in order to commemorate this relationship that was about to end, the two tied all the branches of a tree to each other and made a promise of life and death. Generally, the branches of trees will die after being knotted, but the trees knotted by them not only did not die, but also produced more flowers with stronger fragrance the next spring. Strange things are passed down from mouth to mouth, and even the emperor thinks that the gods are blessing lovers, and all shall be well.
This "love tree" with knotted branches without withering has made a pair of "immortal couples". Its scientific name is Xiang Jie. On a sunny spring morning, some friends and I went to Fei Yi Park to see its beauty.
Enter the north gate of the park and turn right along the road. The trees trimmed by the roadside have grown a new layer of yellow-green leaves, and the fragrance is mixed in the green belt. Starting from the root, it grows into a bunch of bare branches. When each branch forks, it is separated by three forks. The "big eyes" on the branch are scars formed after the petiole falls off, and the inflorescence hangs on the top of the branch. This kind of clothes is the most attractive.
The fragrant tree we see is in its flowering stage, and it is rare to see a few buds on its branches. When its flowers are not in bloom, the hair buds gather together, which is a bit like a dried lotus. The open flowers are separated, only the tails are connected together, which is called the flower head in botany. The appearance is more like a half hydrangea with several small flowers. Looking down from the top, you can see the gray back first. The fluffy pedicel is the soft "waist" of the flower head, and then the petals extend downward. The light gray on the back of the petals reveals some light yellow, and the front is yellow, extremely mild Mo Landi yellow.
There is more than one fragrant tree in the park. Walk around the pool next to the rockery and you can see it in several places. It's just that they generally grow relatively low, and their inflorescences are vertical, so they have to squat down on the edge of the tree to shoot them back. Against the background of blue sky and white clouds, even gentle flowers will soar into the sky and admire the momentum of the world.
While enjoying taking photos with my friends, I had the idea of "twisting the fragrant branches to see if they can be tied into knots", for fear that they would be called "damaging the greening" and gave up. But I slowly bent its branches, which were really soft and tough.
I looked up some information before going to the park. I know that fragrant trees bloom in late winter and early spring, and they bloom first and then shed leaves. In winter, branches can be soft enough to "knot without breaking". The gardener should have no problem making it into a bonsai with a Qian Qian knot.
In the process of dealing with nature, people will write about animals, plants and natural phenomena. Into different words, and it is not surprising that the fragrant tree endowed with emotion is written into words. Bai Juyi wrote: "We want two birds to be one and fly in the sky; We hope that two branches of a tree will grow together on the earth. " In Song of Eternal Sorrow, and in Diversification, it is written that "a lonely bird is locked in a deep cage for one night, and a sword breaks a branch", all of which use the freehand metaphor of Xiang Jie tree.
Compared with emotional sentences, the description of "Jiexianghua" in traditional Chinese medicine is much simpler and clearer-"Jiexianghua, the name of traditional Chinese medicine. Aromatic bud of Daphne family. In late winter and early spring, inflorescences are picked and dried when they are in bloom. It can nourish yin and soothe the nerves, improve eyesight and remove obstacles. "
From this point of view, Xiang Jie is really an interesting and useful plant.
A friend said that he likes incense. "Painting bridges does not depend on willows, and he doesn't like wind curtains and green curtains. Let the spring and autumn wind blow and rain, and make a wisp of incense in the secluded place, which makes people think carefully and have a long aftertaste." People who love life like to listen to the sounds of nature.
If you have time and interest, we can go to the park together and see what the incense is like in different seasons. If you like it, you can quietly tell it your hidden wishes.