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

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Oleaceae Oleaceae, also known as the olive 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. Green. 2004. "Oleaceae". pages 296-30 ...

, it is native to China.

Taxonomy

The Latin

epithet An epithet (, ), also byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) known for accompanying or occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It has various shades of meaning when applied to seemingly real or fictitious people, di ...

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 (often also called a 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 ...

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 type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture, ...

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, Czechoslovakia, Korea, 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 used in

traditional Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. It has been described as "fraught with pseudoscience", with the majority of its treatments having no logical mechanism of action ...

. 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 role ...

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, i ...

and phillyrin. The main active component isolated from ''Forsythia Fructus'' (the dried fruit of ''Forsythia suspensa'') ''Forsythiaside A'' exhibits significant activities in treating various diseases, including inflammation, virus infection, neurodegeneration, oxidative stress, liver injury, and bacterial infection.Gong, L., Wang, C., Zhou, H., Ma, C., Zhang, Y., Peng, C., & Li, Y. (2021). "A review of pharmacological and pharmacokinetic properties of Forsythiaside A". Pharmacological Research, 169, 105690.

References

External links

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

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