In the cold winter season, everything withers, but there is a flower, with its tenacity and beauty, standing proudly on the branches, that is the plum blossom. Plum blossoms have become a bright color in the cold winter with their unique posture and color, and the cinnabar plum and red plum have attracted people's attention with their bright red.
Plum blossom has been a favorite theme of literati and writers since ancient times, and its pride and tenacity have become the inspiration for many poems and songs. And in the world of plum blossoms, red plums are undoubtedly the most well-known. Red plums, with their delicate red color, have become a touch of warmth in the cold winter. However, if we want to pursue the reddest of plum blossoms, perhaps we should turn our attention to the cinnabar plum.
Cinnabar plum, as the name suggests, has flowers as bright as cinnabar. In February and March every year, when other plants are still sleeping, the cinnabar plum quietly blooms, its flowers are purple-red, bright in color, multi-layered and multi-piece, like a string of crystal clear cinnabar beads hanging on the branches. This unique red color makes the cinnabar plum stand out among the plum blossoms and becomes a bright color in the cold winter.
However, compared to the red plum, the cinnabar plum seems to be slightly less well-known. Red plum has become a favorite garden plant due to its wide distribution and easy cultivation. Its flowers, although lighter in color, have pale pink or red petals that glow softly in the sun, giving it a warm and serene feel. The color of the red plum can also vary depending on the cultivar, and there are flower colors such as purple and red, which makes the red plum more diverse in ornamentation.
However, although red plum and cinnabar plum are similar in flower color, they belong to different subfamilies in plant taxonomy. Cinnabar plum belongs to the family Meiya, while red plum is a type of Liyaaceae. This difference in classification reflects their different paths in the evolutionary process and their ability to adapt to their environment.
In addition to the differences in flower color and taxonomy, there are also significant differences in branch color between cinnabar plum and red plum. The cinnabar plum branches are dark red, and this deep color contrasts with its flowers, making the whole plant even more striking. The branches of the red plum are green with gray spots. This difference in the color of the branches makes the appearance of red plum and cinnabar plum clearly different.
In terms of growing environment, red plum and cinnabar plum are also different. Red plums prefer warmer climates and also have a certain ability to tolerate cold. It is very sensitive to climate change and can grow well in areas with annual rainfall of 1000mm or a little more. Red plum has low soil requirements, is relatively barren and thin, and can also grow normally in light alkaline soil. This makes red plum more adaptable in horticultural applications.
In contrast, cinnabar plums are slightly less hardy and difficult to reproduce. It belongs to the middle and late plum and blooms from the end of February to the beginning of March. This makes cinnabar plum need more attention and care in cultivation and ornamentation. However, it is precisely because of its rarity and uniqueness that the cinnabar plum is even more precious and compelling.
In addition to its ornamental value, cinnabar plum also has certain medicinal value. Its flowers, leaves, roots, and pits can all be used in medicine. In traditional Chinese medicine, cinnabar plum is used for a variety of diseases, such as colds, coughs, etc. This medicinal value makes cinnabar plum not only an ornamental plant, but also a Chinese medicinal material with practical value.
In general, although cinnabar plum and red plum belong to the same category of plum blossoms, there are obvious differences between them in terms of flower color, taxonomy, branch color and growth environment. These distinctions make them unique in their horticultural applications and medicinal uses. Whether it is the delicate red plum or the precious cinnabar plum, they all interpret the tenacity and beauty of plum blossoms in their own way, and become a bright color in the cold winter. In the future development of horticulture, we should pay more attention to and protect these precious plant resources, so that they can bloom more brilliantly in human life.