Laurel-the sad crown of the buried love of Apollo

Laurel is a reddish-crowned, dark brown tree of eastern India with a winding texture and strong wood. It is a subtropical tree species, native to the Mediterranean and cultivated in the gardens of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Taiwan, Fujian and other provinces south of the Yangtze River Basin in China. Born in sparse forests, dense forests or thickets, or by the side of a stream, 100-1400 meters above sea level (up to 2100 meters above sea level in Yunnan). It is also found in India, through Myanmar and Vietnam, as well as Indonesia and the Philippines.

Like warm and humid climate, like light, but also more resistant to shade, slightly resistant to cold, can withstand low temperature from-8 ℃ to-6 ℃ for a short time. Resistant to drought, afraid of waterlogging. It is suitable for fertile and moist sandy loam with deep soil layer and good drainage, which is not resistant to salt and alkali, strong germination and resistance to pruning.

Laurel tree

Greening:

Laurel trees are graceful and evergreen all the year round. They are ornamental trees for landscaping. Solitary planting, group planting and row planting are all acceptable.

Food:

The leaves of laurel are often used in Western or Thai cuisine, mainly in cooking seasoning and roasting under the meat when barbecuing. The thick leaves smelled when they were torn up. Whether it is stew, soup, kimchi, tea, all have a unique and charming aroma, but also have antiseptic, digestive effect.

Medicine:

It can balance nerves, relieve pain, sterilize, treat arthritis, neuralgia, rheumatism, muscle pain and skin diseases. Berry essential oil is mainly used in soap and candle making because it contains fatty acids.

Laurel tree

Greek legend:

The naughty little god of love, Eros (Roman name Cupid), was ridiculed by Apollo and decided to show Apollo the power of his bow and arrow. Flying to and fro in the air, he smiled and shot a small lead arrow at Daphne, the fairy of the Penaeus; then he took out another golden arrow and shot Apollo. Lead arrows disgust love, but golden arrows can ignite love. Apollo fell passionately in love with Daphne, while at the same time, Daphne was ashamed of love and asked her father, the river god Penaeus, to promise her to be a virgin for life.

Apollo saw Daphne and immediately ran to her, while Daphne ran away in panic. As she chased, the sun god murmured his love to her, but this only made Daphne more frightened. In this way, one chased and the other fled, crossing many mountains and fields. Gradually, Daphne lost her strength, and she felt that she could not breathe-the sound of Apollo's footsteps was in her ears, and she could even feel his breath. Daphne desperately asked her father for help. "Please help me, Father!" Open up, O earth, swallow me in! " As soon as she spoke, she began to become stiff: her body became a tree trunk, her blond hair stretched out into leaves, her arms into branches, her running feet now rooted, her head shaded in the shade, and all that remained was her beauty and cleanliness.

Although Daphne became a tree, Apollo still liked her very much. he hugged the trunk, and the leaves were trembling. "you will be my tree," he said. "you will be green all the year round and be the crown of the victor." From then on, Apollo respected the laurel as his sacred tree, and his hair, piano and quiver were always decorated with the branches and leaves of the laurel tree. Every year, he selects the best poets in Greece and is honored with a Corolla made of cassia twigs. This is the origin of the Poet Laureate.

Laurel tree

Chinese legend:

It is said that there is a bay tree five hundred feet high in the moon. In the Han Dynasty, a man named Wu Gang was relegated to the moon to cut laurel because he was obsessed with immortal Tao rather than studying, but the laurel in the moon was cut down endlessly, so later generations were able to see the image of Wu Gang cutting laurel endlessly in the middle of the month.