What exactly is Gesang flower?

Gesang flower is also known as Gesang Meido, which is widely controversial. In a broad sense, "Gesang Meido" is probably synonymous with the most tenacious wild flower on the plateau. In terms of botanical characteristics, the plants of the genus Aster of Compositae and Cuiju, a common cultivated plant from Lhasa to Qamdo, are in line with the characteristics of Gesang flower. In addition, in Tibetan areas, there are also plants such as Golden Plum, Stellera chamaejasme, Alpine rhododendron, Saussurea and other plants known as Gesang flowers.

Purely from the botanical point of view, Gesang flower should be a plant of the genus Aster and chrysanthemum of the family Asteraceae, which is rich in resources and widely distributed in Tibet. In horticulture, people usually refer to the plants before and after the change of classification as "Aster" according to the custom. In a broad sense, Aster also includes other adjacent genera, such as Goumahua, Chrysanthemum and so on in Xizang. Many plants of Aster are not only traditional medicinal plants, but also like Aster can be used to treat diseases such as plague and toxicosis. Other species of this genus also have similar medicinal value, so it accords with the story of Gesang living Buddha in folklore.

Many people think that Persian chrysanthemum is Gesang flower, and this kind of flower has another name in Tibetan area, which is called "Zhang adult flower". Although Persian chrysanthemum is the plant that represents Gesang flowers in many film and television works such as "eight petal Gesang Flowers" or in a large number of periodicals, magazines and songs of Xizang, this kind of flower is called "Zhang adult flower" by Lhasa people because it was brought to Lhasa by Zhang Yintang, minister stationed in Tibet at the end of the Qing Dynasty. At that time, few people in Xizang were proficient in Chinese, but there were many Tibetan people who could speak the word "Lord Zhang". Many Tibetan old people who do not speak Chinese can also speak the three Chinese characters "Lord Zhang" fluently when they talk about the flower, so Persian chrysanthemum is definitely not a Gesang flower in the strict sense in terms of the time when the species was introduced into China.

In addition, it is also said that Jinlumei of the genus Potentilla of Rosaceae is Gesang flower. Jinlumei, also known as Jinlaomei in Tibetan, is the city flower of Lhasa, and Potentilla Rosaceae is a deciduous shrub. It is widely distributed in hillside grasslands, gravelly slopes, thickets and forest margins from the sub-cold zone of the northern hemisphere to the north temperate zone, with an elevation of 1000-4000 meters.

Gesang flower has a high position in the hearts of Tibetan people. People often express and express their beautiful feelings through Gesang flower, which is regarded by Tibetan people as a holy flower symbolizing love and auspiciousness. In the long history of Xizang, Gesang Hua, as a kind of spirit, exists in the hearts of Tibetan people and becomes a symbol of their pursuit of happiness, auspiciousness and beautiful emotion. Beautiful but not delicate and beautiful, often become a synonym for strong women. Because they love the sunshine of the plateau and are not afraid of the cold and frost, it is regarded as one of the most tenacious wild flowers on the plateau, and it is also the city flower of Lhasa, the capital of Xizang.