XIANNING, 24 November (BelTA - Xinhua). - Nearly 60 ancient Osmanthus trees have recently been found on mountains in Chongyang County, Xianning City, central China's Hubei Province.
After measuring the ages of the trees, an engineer with the city's forestry bureau estimated that the oldest tree is more than 560 years old while the youngest tree is about 100 years old.
Local villagers said the trees were able to yield 1,500 kilograms of sweet-scented Osmanthus flowers in previous years.
The Osmanthus trees are a source of high-quality essential oil, according to Chen Dongmin, director of the China (Xianning) Osmanthus City Construction Leading Group in Xianning.
Through the discovery, Xianning City not only expanded the list of ancient Osmanthus trees, but also moved forward in carrying out research on Osmanthus trees, exploring the Osmanthus culture, cultivating the Osmanthus industry and accelerating the construction of an Osmanthus city.
