Ding Dong! The fruity natural fragrance you ordered has been delivered

Produced by: Science Popularization China

Author: Huang Yeqin (Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences)

Producer: China Science Expo

Reviewer: Lin Qinwen (Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences)

The fragrant breeze breaks the green lotus in the morning, and the flowers still bow their heads to their white jade faces;

Before a single spark of fragrance has time to bloom, how can its delicate fragrance spread throughout the world?

Please guess what flower this poem describes?

The answer is Michelia!

(Image source: Zhu Xinxin, China Plant Image Library)

In the writings of Yang Wanli, a famous poet in the Southern Song Dynasty, Michelia is like a lady with graceful manners, a face as white as jade, frowned brows, a slight smile that stops easily, and reserved and implicit.

As winter turns to spring and the weather turns cold, the Michelia flowers on the branches are already in bud, about to bloom. The flowers swaying slightly in the wind are full of affection, the fragrance is intoxicating, the light is far-reaching, and it is refreshing.

But when it comes to Michelia, the most discussed question is: What does this flower smell like? Why does a beautiful flower smell like fruit?

A thousand noses, a thousand jasmine scents

Whenever people talk about the smell of Michelia, it always triggers heated discussions. Does it taste like apples? Like bananas? Like cantaloupe? With the sweetness of pineapple? ... People's descriptions of the smell of Michelia are full of individual differences, but they are closely related to the theme of "fruit".

As for the question of "what does Michelia smell like", due to the differences in people's olfactory systems, there may not be a unified answer. However, a flower that smells like fruit is an unforgettable magical sweet experience.

We know that the volatile substances in plants diffuse into the air, producing floral fragrance. So what kind of combination of substances allows Michelia to emit a fruit-like fragrance?

The study found that the volatile components of Michelia jasminoides, in addition to the main terpenes such as α-pinene and β-elemene, also contain prominent ester substances such as 2-methyl-propyl acetate and 2-methyl-ethyl propionate.

Now we have found the key to the problem! Esters tend to emit fresh fruity aromas, which is why many people think that the scent of Michelia has the smell of fruits such as apple, cantaloupe or pineapple.

In addition, Michelia and banana contain some common ester components such as ethyl butyrate and ethyl caproate. Therefore, the name of Michelia "banana flower" is well-founded.

Michelia is also known as "banana flower" and its English name is banana shrub, which means that most people, both at home and abroad, think that the fragrance of Michelia is similar to banana.

(Photo source: provided by Huang Yeqin)

Natural fragrance, long-lasting taste

The sweet and pleasant scent of Michelia catches people's noses early on.

In ancient China, Michelia was a natural fruity fragrance. People took advantage of its scent by picking petals and placing them in handkerchiefs or clothes. The Song Dynasty poem "Only this flower cannot be stolen, and it smells suddenly when no one knows about it" vividly conveys the fragrance of Michelia.

As time goes by, people are still addicted to the intoxicating fragrance of Michelia. When Michelia blooms, the private cars of modern people can always exude this refreshing natural smell. Because of its refreshing fragrance, luxuriant branches and leaves, and air purification, Michelia is planted on the streets of many southern cities.

Bunches of white orchids are a common sight on the streets of many southern cities in summer. They are tall trees with white, narrow tepals and a strong fragrance. They are a close sister of the same genus as Michelia.

(Image source: Xu Changlong, China Plant Image Library)

The beauty of the lotus appears in the

In addition to its fruit-like fragrance, Michelia also has a special structure. An ancient saying goes: "The flower blooms without opening its mouth, and it lowers its head in shame. It is like a beautiful woman smiling, with deep affection flowing secretly." The name of Michelia may have come from this.

Looking closely at the branches of Michelia, the pale yellow tepals are quietly cracking. In a few days, they will stretch out tenderly, slightly bending inward, and supporting the delicate stamens and pistils. The brown stamens in the center of the stamens gather in groups, surrounding the green pistils in the middle, and stretching out diagonally.

Michelia

(Image source: Xi Jianwei, China Plant Image Library)

In terms of flower structure, Michelia has unique morphological characteristics. The common structures of plant flowers from the outside to the inside are sepals, petals, stamens, and pistils. But Michelia is not like this. Its flowers have no obvious sepals and are tepals. Several layers of white, fleshy tepals are arranged in a spiral shape on the elongated conical receptacle in the middle of the Michelia, protecting the pistils and stamens that reproduce offspring.

Schematic diagram of the flower and fruit structure of Michelia

(Photo source: provided by Ma Beibei)

Located in the center of the flower is its pistil group. Many free pistils are arranged in a spiral on the receptacle. At first glance, they look like a stick covered with countless scales. When the flower falls and bears fruit, each pistil will develop into a small fruit, still gathered on the receptacle. This structure in which the pistils of the same flower develop into multiple small fruits, but still grow together, is called an aggregate fruit. In fact, aggregate fruits are very common. The lotus pods and strawberries that we often eat in our lives are such aggregate fruits.

Scientific drawing of Michelia

(Image source: China Plant Image Library)

Michelia is an evergreen shrub with leathery leaves that look shiny. If you have the opportunity to touch it with your hands, you can feel how smooth its leaves are.

Both the flowers and leaves of Michelia are very ornamental. However, it is not easy to grow Michelia well in the north.

Michelia likes to grow in mixed woods on shady slopes, and is particularly lush along the banks of stream valleys. It is usually distributed in the south of the Yangtze River in my country, and is a warm-weather woody shrub; it can be introduced and cultivated in northern regions, but special attention should be paid to the fact that in cold regions, it should be moved into a greenhouse before the frost in late autumn to keep the Michelia at a temperature of 5 to 10°C to overwinter. In other words, if you want to grow Michelia in Beijing, you can't overwinter in the open air, it can only live in a warmer place, such as the exhibition greenhouse of the National Botanical Garden.

Michelia family charming eyes

In addition to Michelia, other brothers and sisters in the genus Michelia are equally beautiful and fragrant.

Michelia × alba, Michelia champaca, Michelia maudiae, Michelia martini, Michelia cavaleriei var. platypetala, Michelia yunnanensis, Michelia compressa, etc., all of them have charming and colorful flowers, fresh and elegant colors, and refreshing fragrance, together creating a touch of natural beauty in the city that mobilizes our sense of smell and vision.

Michelia

(Image source: China Plant Image Library)

Conclusion

Now is the time when Michelia is in full bloom. Although Michelia is often grown in the south, friends in the north should not regret it. We can go to the exhibition greenhouse of the National Botanical Garden to smell whether Michelia really has a fruity smell.

References:

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Editor: Guo Yaxin