''Forsythia suspensa'', commonly known as weeping forsythia or golden-bell, is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Oleaceae Oleaceae, also known as the olive family or sometimes the lilac family, is a taxonomic family of flowering shrubs, trees, and a few lianas in the order Lamiales. It presently comprises 28 genera, one of which is recently extinct.Peter S. Gree ...

. It is native to China.

Taxonomy

The Latin

epithet An epithet (, ), also a byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) commonly accompanying or occurring in place of the name of a real or fictitious person, place, or thing. It is usually literally descriptive, as in Alfred the Great, Suleima ...

of ''suspensa'' is derived from ''suspensus'' meaning suspended. It was first described and published in Enum. Pl. Obs. Vol.1 on page 39 in 1804.

Description

''Forsythia suspensa'' is a deciduous

shrub A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...

that grows up to tall. Its flowers are golden-yellow and they bloom March to April. Leaves are green in color, broadly-ovate, and simple. It can be grown as a weeping shrub on stream banks and can be identified by its pale flowers. Garden

cultivar A cultivar is a kind of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and which retains those traits when Plant propagation, propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root a ...

s can be found. It is a spring flowering shrub, with yellow flowers. It is grown and prized for its toughness. Before ''

Forsythia × intermedia ''Forsythia ''×'' intermedia'', or border forsythia, is an ornamental deciduous shrub of garden origin. Description The shrub has an upright habit with arching branches and grows to 3 to 4 metres high. The opposite leaves turn yellowish or oc ...

'' was known as a true wild Chinese species, ''F. suspensa'' was considered one of its parents.

Distribution and habitat

''Forsythia suspensa'' is native to China. It is introduced in Japan, Spain, Bulgaria, Czechia, Slovakia, Korea and as well as some parts of the United States. It grows in thickets or grassy areas on slopes and valleys.

Uses

It is one of the

50 fundamental herbs Chinese herbology () is the theory of traditional Chinese herbal therapy, which accounts for the majority of treatments in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). A ''Nature'' editorial described TCM as "fraught with pseudoscience", and said that t ...

used in

traditional Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medicine, alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. A large share of its claims are pseudoscientific, with the majority of treatments having no robust evidence ...

. It contains the

lignan The lignans are a large group of low molecular weight polyphenols found in plants, particularly seeds, whole grains, and vegetables. The name derives from the Latin word for "wood". Lignans are precursors to phytoestrogens. They may play a rol ...

Pinoresinol Pinoresinol is a tetrahydrofuran lignan found in '' Styrax sp.'', '' Forsythia suspensa, and in Forsythia koreana''. It is also found in the caterpillar of the cabbage butterfly, '' Pieris rapae'' where it serves as a defence against ants. In food ...

and

phillyrin Phillyrin is an endophytic fungal isolate with anti-obesity activity. It can be produced by ''Colletotrichum gloeosporioides'', an endophytic fungus isolated from ''Forsythia suspensa''. It can also be prepared directly from ''Forsythia suspensa ...

References

External links

* *
Forsythia - Forsythia suspensa, species information page
- at Brickfields Country Park.

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1275024, KNSL=yes Forsythieae Medicinal plants of Asia Plants used in traditional Chinese medicine Plants described in 1804 Garden plants Flora of China