---
title: "Chimonanthus (wintersweets): classification, 6 accepted species, distribution and growing | Floreboard"
url: https://floreboard.com/en/plants/chimonanthus/
language: en
last_reviewed: 2026-10-24
publisher: Floreboard
---

Curtis's Botanical Magazine · 466 · 1800 · Sydenham Edwards · public domain

# Chimonanthus Lindl.

wintersweets · Calycanthaceae

- **Accepted name:** Chimonanthus Lindl.
- **First published:** Bot. Reg. 5: t. 404 (1819)
- **Family:** Calycanthaceae
- **Accepted species:** 6 (including 0 natural hybrids)
- **Native range:** 3 TDWG regions, China (north-central, south-central and south-east)
- **Common names:** wintersweets
- **Databases:** [POWO](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:331487-2) · [IPNI](https://www.ipni.org/n/331487-2) · [WCVP](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/2232/taxon/382890) · [Catalogue of Life](https://www.catalogueoflife.org/data/taxon/3N6Q) · [GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/7275850)

## Overview

Chimonanthus belongs to the family Calycanthaceae and is a small genus: WCVP accepts only a handful of species, all native to north-central, south-central and south-east China. The wintersweet branches florists sell in winter are C. praecox; despite the similar Chinese name (lamei), it is unrelated to the Japanese apricot, Prunus mume (meihua).

## Classification and naming

Lindley published the genus in the Botanical Register in 1819 (WCVP). Linnaeus first placed wintersweet in Calycanthus, as Calycanthus praecox; Link moved it to Chimonanthus in 1822, giving the current name Chimonanthus praecox (L.) Link (WCVP). The plate above, Curtis’s Botanical Magazine plate 466 (1800), still names it in the text “Calycanthus Praecox. Japan All-spice”.

| Genus name | Published in |
| --- | --- |
| Meratia Loisel. | Herb. Gén. Amat. 3: t. 173 (1819 publ. 1818) |

## Distribution

WCVP records the genus as native to 3 TDWG botanical regions.

China North-CentralChina South-CentralChina Southeast

## Accepted species

WCVP accepts 6 species; names with × are natural hybrids. The count changes with revisions; checked 2026-10-24.

| Name | On this site |
| --- | --- |
| Chimonanthus campanulatus R.H.Chang & C.S.Ding |   |
| Chimonanthus grammatus M.C.Liu |   |
| Chimonanthus nitens Oliv. |   |
| Chimonanthus praecox (L.) Link | 1 plate |
| Chimonanthus salicifolius S.Y.Hu |   |
| Chimonanthus zhejiangensis M.C.Liu |   |

## Historic plates

Plates in date order; the printed names are kept as they appear, current names are on the species pages and the topic page.

- [](https://floreboard.com/plants/plates/bm-466.jpg)Calycanthus praecoxCurtis's Botanical Magazine · 466 · 1800, Sydenham Edwards

## Growing

The RHS describes the cultivar ‘Luteus’ as having pale yellow flowers, pure in colour and not marked with red, with a sweet scent. It is perfectly hardy in the open garden (RHS hardiness rating H5) but needs the extra summer warmth of a fence or wall to ripen its shoots and develop the buds for its winter flowers. Plant it near a path or door to enjoy the scent, prune after flowering if necessary; it grows to about 2.5 m.

## Further reading

- [Flower guide](https://floreboard.com/en/flowers/wintersweet/)
- [Reference library](https://floreboard.com/en/library/)

## References

- [WCVP · World Checklist of Vascular Plants (via ChecklistBank dataset 2232)](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/2232) · accessed 2026-10-24
- [RHS · 10 award-winning winter wall plants](https://www.rhs.org.uk/garden-inspiration/seasonal/10-winter-wall-shrubs-climbers)

Names, places of publication, synonyms and distribution checked against WCVP (2026-10-24); the text follows the cited sources and awaits specialist review.