Mei Hua

Prunus mume is a deciduous tree native to China, Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam, commonly known as the Japanese apricot or Chinese plum. It typically grows 4-10 meters tall with a spreading crown and grey-green bark that fissures with age. The alternate leaves are ovate to elliptic, 4-8 cm long, with acuminate tips and finely serrate margins. Flowers appear in late winter to early spring on bare branches, before the leaves; they are solitary or paired, 2-2.5 cm across, with five rounded petals ranging from white through pink to deep red, and a strong, sweet fragrance. The fruit is a yellow to green-yellow drupe, roughly spherical, 2-3 cm in diameter. In TCM, the dried flower buds (Mei Hua) are used as a gentle qi-regulating herb to soothe the liver and relieve constraint.