臘梅，屬臘梅科臘梅屬，原產我國陜西、湖北等省。由于其花期早，既不與群芳爭春，又不畏風雪嚴寒，因而自古以來，被人們稱為“歲寒三友”。
       
    鄢陵臘梅，又名黃梅、香梅，因其花型大、蠟質厚、花期長、香味濃，被列為臘梅科屬之上品。其栽培歷史悠久，興于唐宋，盛于明清，明代韓程愈《敘花》記載：“臘梅一種，惟鄢陵著名，四方諸召事，購求無虛日，士人皆以為累。”清代乾隆年間，鄢陵臘梅每歲末運至京師，單株價白銀六兩，達官貴人亦將鄢陵臘梅作為禮品互贈，當時的刑部尚書，著名文學家王士禎曾贊譽：“鄢陵臘梅冠天下”，故此鄢陵有“花都”、“花縣”之美稱，其中又以姚家花園名聞全國。
      
    鄢陵臘梅，其名聞天下，不僅因其栽培歷史悠久和數量眾多，還在于其品種優良與盆景造型綺麗多姿。如現已絕跡的老蘇梅，據傳是宋代蘇軾被貶時送給好友的，鄢陵王主薄的愛物；圣府梅據說是明代山東布政司參議鄢陵人陳澹享從孔府中購來的。其他如金蓮花梅、虎蹄梅、夾心臘梅都是臘梅中的珍品。經“控形”、“動刀” 等藝術加工造型的梅花盆景，因其花期提前，雖風雪寒天而花香滿樹，姿態優雅而芳香秀麗。清代汪為熹盛贊“高僅尺許，老干疏枝，置之書幾之旁，雅致韻人”，在1981年廣交會上展出的“赤龍獨舞”臘梅盆景，曾受到與會者的贊賞。
       
    鄢陵臘梅不僅有很高的觀賞價值，也有一定的實用價值，其根、莖、葉可入藥，花能提取芳香油，有解暑生津、順氣止咳、消炎活血之功效。亦可采花窨茶，而其花蕊油又可治燙傷。
      
    由于鄢陵地理位置優越，交通運輸方便，傳統的栽培技術和廣闊的市場前景，對促進花卉發展起到了推動作用。目前，全縣有11個鄉，210個村，5100多農戶和61個國營、集體場園，11000多人從事花卉生產，其中種植臘梅1050畝，品種臘梅400多萬株，總產值2000多萬元，人均年收入3000元以上。

 

     Yanling Calyx Canthus

    Calyx canthus belongs to calycanthaceae. It is praised as one of Three Durable Plants in Winter for its not competing with other flowers and resisting cold.
      
    Yanling calyx canthus, also called yellow plum or fragrant plum, is respected as superior breed for its big flowers, thick waxiness, long flower season and fragrant smell. This plant has a long cultivating time stemming from Tang and Song Dynasty and prevailing in Ming and Qing Dynasty. Yanling earns nice names of Flower Capital and Flower County, where the most famous is Yao Family's Garden. It earns high reputation not only because of its long cultivating period but also for its high quality and wonderful miniascapes.
      
    Yanling calyx canthus has high ornamental as well as practical values, whose root, stem, leaves all can be made into medicine which has medical functions of resolving summer heat, promoting the secretion, relieving a cough, diminishing inflammation, invigorating blood, etc. Besides, its flowers can be made into flower tea as well as essential oil which can cure scalds.