Dear members,
Am posting photos of the shrub wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox)which is becoming popular in lawns of homes in Srinagar.
Habitat: Cultivated. In gardens and lawns
Habit: Shrub with a woody stem 3-4 m high.
Family: Calycanthaceae native to China
It is deciduous and sheds all its leaves in autumn. Around the last week of January it starts flowering and the pale yellow waxy flowers borne in profusion remain till early March. The inner tepals have purplish red bases. The flowers are very fragrant and to me their fragrance seems very similar to that of Narcissus flowers'. In light breeze a single tree can fill a moderate sized lawn with its fragrance.
For members who like myself are fascinated by the shape of pollen grains I have also posted pictures of its pollen seen through a microscope. The pollen is peculiar in that it seems spherical when seen in polar view but appears elongated in equatorial view. Experts have used SEM images of its pollen to distinguish between its different cultivars.
Regards
Taffazull