Daphne gemmata 'ROYAL CROWN' budded daphne

Daphne

The genus Daphne includes approximately 95 species of shrubs distributed from western Europe through the Mediterranean region and the Caucasus to the Himalayas, China, Korea and Japan. The greatest diversity is found in eastern Asia, where many of the ornamental species grown today originated. The genus was described by Carl Linnaeus (1707�1778) in 1753 and named after Daphne, the nymph of Greek mythology who was transformed into a tree by her father to save her from the advances of Apollo. Like many botanical names, Daphne is therefore a reminder of an age when botany and classical scholarship were closely intertwined. Daphnes have fascinated gardeners for centuries thanks to their often intensely fragrant flowers, which in some species appear while the garden is only just awakening from winter, while in others they continue to provide interest throughout much of the growing season. Their beauty, however, comes with a less obvious side: most species contain potent toxic compounds that protect them from browsing animals and. Botanists also continue to debate the exact boundary between Daphne and Wikstroemia, and several species have been transferred between the two genera over time, leaving aspects of their classification open to discussion.

Daphne gemmata was described as a distinct species by Ludwig Diels (1874�1945) at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries from material collected in the mountains of south-western China. Unlike the better-known daphnes of European gardens, it inhabits neither woodland edges nor shrubby slopes, but sunny rocky outcrops, cliff ledges and dry mountain hillsides in western Sichuan and northern Yunnan, at elevations reaching around 1,800 metres. For much of the year its habitat is exposed to intense sun, wind and alternating periods of drought and moisture, making it a remarkably resilient inhabitant of rugged landscapes. Perhaps for this reason it is deciduous, while evergreen daphnes generally favour more stable climatic conditions. Although the species never became part of mainstream garden culture and never acquired a tradition comparable to that of the fragrant Japanese and Chinese daphnes, it remains noteworthy for two reasons. It is one of the few yellow-flowered daphne species and has also attracted attention from modern phytochemical research, which identified biologically active compounds typical of the genus, including coumarins, substances also known from a range of medicinal and pharmacologically studied plants. The species epithet gemmata derives from the Latin word gemma, meaning a bud or plant eye, but also a jewel or gemstone. The English word gem shares the same origin. The epithet can therefore be loosely translated as �budded� or �bearing buds�. The description seems fitting, as the plant carries numerous dormant buds along its shoots, ready to develop into leaves or new branches whenever needed.