Oleaceae

Basic Introduction to Huangchuan Golden OsmanthusHuangchuan Golden Osmanthus (Scientific name: Osmanthus fragrans (Thunb.) Lour.): Also known as woodruff, it is an evergreen shrub or small tree in the Oleaceae family. It has firm and thin bark, with long elliptical leaves that end in a point and are opposite, remaining green throughout winter. The flowers grow in the axils of the leaves; the corolla is united and four-lobed, small in size.Huangchuan County is located in southeastern Henan Province, with a warm climate, abundant rainfall, and is situated in the northern part of the subtropical zone, making it suitable for the northward migration of tropical plants and the southward migration of temperate plants. According to Volume 28 of the "Guangzhou Annals," "The genus of trees includes osmanthus, also known as woodruff, which comes in three varieties: red, white, and yellow." To the northwest of the ancient city of Huang, there is a range of hills stretching for dozens of kilometers where osmanthus has been grown on a large scale since ancient times. When autumn arrives, the osmanthus blooms and its fragrance travels for miles, hence the area is called "Osmanthus Ridge." It is a tradition for the people of Huangchuan to make…

When it comes to Ku Ding tea, most people are familiar with it. When suffering from heatiness, a dry mouth, or a sore throat, many will brew a cup of Ku Ding tea to alleviate their discomfort. However, while Ku Ding tea is called tea, it is not made from traditional tea leaves. The large-leaf Ku Ding, found in southern China, belongs to the Aquifoliaceae family. The raw material for Ku Ding tea is the leaves of Ilex latifolia, which were first processed during the Eastern Han Dynasty. It is mainly produced in Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hainan provinces, and has a bitter taste. The small-leaf Ku Ding, grown in central and western China, belongs to the Oleaceae family (Ligustrum). It is primarily cultivated in Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan provinces. The tea made from its leaves has the fresh sweetness of green tea and is less bitter than the large-leaf variety. The Eastern Han text "Tong Jun Record" describes: “In the south, there is a plant called Gualu, similar to tea, but very bitter. When ground into powder and drunk as tea, it keeps one awake all night.” This Gualu refers to what we now know as Ku Ding (the…