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Winter Daphne
Daphne odora
ジンチョウゲ
An evergreen shrub native to China, long cultivated as a garden plant in Japan. In early spring, it produces clusters of small flowers with an intensely sweet fragrance at the branch tips. The Japanese name 'Jinchoge' refers to a scent combining agarwood (jinko) and clove (choji).
Identification Points
- ✓Spherical flower clusters at branch tips in early spring (February–March)
- ✓Flowers reddish-purple outside, white inside
- ✓Strong sweet fragrance
Habitat
Gardens and parks (cultivated)
Season
February–April (flowers)
Morphological TraitsAI-estimated, needs verification
Growth form
Shrub
Evergreen/Deciduous
Evergreen
Flowering season
Spring
Leaf type
Simple
Venation
Pinnate
Stipules
Absent
Leaf dissection
Undivided
Flower symmetry
Actinomorphic
Ovary position
Superior
Phylogenetic Positionジンチョウゲ科 →
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Eudicots > Core eudicots > Malvales > Thymelaeaceae
Divergence Era
Late Cretaceous (ca. 80 million years ago)
Evolution Notes
Thymelaeaceae lacks true petals; the calyx is petaloid. Early spring flowering with strong fragrance is thought to be an adaptation to attract overwintering pollinators such as early-spring butterflies and hover flies.
View on evolution timeline →Sources & References
AI-generated, needs verification