''Ochna integerrima'', popularly called yellow ''Mai'' flower ( vi, mai vàng, ''hoa mai'', ''hoàng mai'' in southern Vietnam, although in the north, ''mai'' usually refers to ''

Prunus mume ''Prunus mume'' is an East Asian and Southeast Asian tree species classified in the ''Armeniaca'' section of the genus ''Prunus'' subgenus ''Prunus''. Its common names include Chinese plum, Japanese plum, and Japanese apricot. The flower, long ...

''), is a plant species in the genus ''

Ochna ''Ochna''Linnaeus C (1753) ''Sp. Pl.'' 1: 513. is a genus comprising 86 species of evergreen trees, shrubs and shrublets belonging to the flowering plant family ''Ochnaceae''. These species are native to tropical woodlands of Africa, the Mascare ...

'' () and

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 ...

Ochnaceae Ochnaceae is a family of flowering plants in the order Malpighiales.Vernon H. Heywood, Richard K. Brummitt, Ole Seberg, and Alastair Culham. ''Flowering Plant Families of the World''. Firefly Books: Ontario, Canada. (2007). . In the APG III syst ...

. In the wild, it is a small tree or shrub

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 ...

(2-7 m tall). The timing of the yellow flowers of this plant make it very popular in southern Vietnam, where (often

bonsai Bonsai ( ja, 盆栽, , tray planting, ) is the Japanese art of growing and training miniature trees in pots, developed from the traditional Chinese art form of ''penjing''. Unlike ''penjing'', which utilizes traditional techniques to produce ...

-style) plants are purchased during

Tết Tết (), short for Tết Nguyên Đán (Chữ Hán: 節元旦), Spring Festival, Lunar New Year, or Vietnamese Lunar New Year is one of the most important celebrations in Vietnamese culture. The colloquial term "Tết" is a shortened form of , ...

In Vietnam, the variety of ''O. integerrima'' whose flowers have five petals is called ''mai vàng'' (yellow ''mai''), whereas ''mai núi'' (mountain ''mai'') flowers have between five and nine petals. In Cambodia, it is called ''angkea'' (), ''angkeasel'' (), ''angkea loeung'' or ''kongkea'' . ''Ochna integerrima'' ( th, ช้างน้าว ''Chang nao'') is the provincial flower of Mukdahan province,

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

Gallery

Hoa_mai.jpg,

decoration Cây Mai.jpg, Mai tree Ochna integerrima (3).JPG, Mai flower with 5 petals Mai vàng sáu cánh.JPG, Mai flower with 6 petals File:Hoamai.jpg, Mai with 10 petals Hoa Mai 02.jpg, Yellow Mai flowers at

Ochna integerrima1.jpg, Ochna integerrima2.jpg, Ochna integerrima3.jpg, Ochna integerrima Fruit.jpg, Fruit

Cultivation

''Ochna integerrima'' is hard to grow and also difficult to take care of. Farmers choose good seeds, soak them in water, and sow them in moist soil (either in pots or in a garden). ''Ochna integerrima'' likes moist and light soil, cannot stand waterlogging. Therefore, it is necessary to grow ''Ochna integerrima'' in high places and water them regularly. If growing in pots, pay attention to fertilizing and change the soil every year. To have a beautiful flower pot, we should often pay attention to cutting branches, bending branches, creating a posture to have unique shaped ''Ochna integerrima'' pots.

The legend of ''Ochna integerrima''

Vietnamese people have a

fairy tale A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic (paranormal), magic, incantation, enchantments, and mythical ...

about ''Ochna integerrima''. The story is about a kind and brave girl. She fought a monster to protect the villagers. Unfortunately, she died after the battle. Her bravery touched the gods. So, although she died, every New Year comes, she is revived to visit her family and her village for 9 days. When her parents died, she transformed into a flowering tree. Every time the New Year comes, the flowers bloom brightly like the yellow shirt she usually wears. That is ''Ochna integerrima''. Vietnamese people believe that, on Tet holiday, ''Ochna integerrima'' can banish ghosts throughout the year.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q385214 integerrima Trees of Vietnam Flora of Indo-China Taxa named by João de Loureiro