Daphne odora (Winter daphne)

Winter daphne is native to China, and long naturalized in Japan and Korea.Gardeners prize them for their very fragrant flowers.

Leaves: Glossy, dark green, leathery, obovate to elliptic, to 4″ (10 cm) long.

Flowers: Flowers are reddish purple, with white interiors; they look pink from a distance. They appear in cymes about 1″ (2.5 cm) around, with several flowers about ¼″ (6.3 mm) around. They are very fragrant, and appear from January to April, depending upon climate. They may precede the leaves.

Edibility: Skull & Crossbones

Poisonous. All parts of the plant are poisonous to humans and many domestic animals. The sap can cause dermatitis.

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin)
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Rosidae	Roses, legumes, proteas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, mistletoes, euphorbias, grapes, many more
Order	Malvales	Includes cacao, balsa, lime, linden, basswood, daphnes, hibiscus, hollyhocks, okra, baobab, cotton, kapok, and many others
Family	Thymelaeaceae	Trees and perennial shrubs with fibrous bark, mostly tropical, mostly African
Genus	Daphne	From Greek Δάφνη (Dáphnē), “laurel.” Daphne was a nymph unwillingly pursued by Apollo. She asked her river god father to turn her to a laurel to avoid Apollo’s advances.
Species	odora	Fragrant

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