Forsythia, Forsythia sp
Description
Forsythia, also known as the Easter Bush, is a genus of shrub from East Asia that is widely used in gardening, and as such, is commonly found in gardens, parks, landscaped car parks and other spaces. A number of different cultivars exist, but all have similar flowers, which are edible. The flowers bloom in early spring and seeing them come to life in a flush of stunning yellow is often the first sign that Spring is on the way. The tree flowers before the first leaf buds appear creating a beautiful floral display, with the green leaf buds coming in shortly afterwards. The tubular flowers of all Forsythia species each have four petals that are joined only at the base of the stem, giving them a spindly appearance. The petals often curl outwards in a spiral. As an early spring edible flower, these are great served in a spring salad, used as a garnish or sugared for use in baking. They can also be brewed into a tea, which is popular in Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Forsythia Checklist
Habitat
🏡 Urban Green Spaces, including scrubland, parks and gardens.
🏢 Urban Environments, wasteland, Streets and pavements.
Season
🌸 Feb- April
Leaves
☘️ In all varieties, the leaves appear after the flowers, growing opposite each other along the stalks. They are usuall ovate, toothed and green, but some species have varying leaves and in some cases, colours.
Flowers
🌷 In all varieties, the flowers appear before the leaves, and are bright yellow, with four long petals that are joined at the base. This often causes them to curl outwards.
Bark
🪓 The bark is rough and greyish-brown in texture.
Edible Parts
🌷 Flowers
Aroma / Taste
👃 Indistinct Aroma
👅 The yellow flowers have a mild floral flavour.
ID Notes
🟩 ID Difficulty - Beginner
👀 The distinct four-lobed flowers are a key identifier of this plant.
⛔️ There are a number of other plants with yellow flowers, such as Witch Hazel and Winter Jasmine, that may be flowering at the same time as Forsythia, but the flowers of these plants are very different, so confusion is extremely unlikely if care is taken with your ID.
Uses
🥗 Salad - The flowers are usually eaten raw and added to salads.
🌺 Garnish - Flowers can be used as a garnish.
☕️ Beverage - flowers can be used to make tea.
🍨 Sweet - The flowers can be sugared for use in cake baking.
💊 Herbal Remedy - Is sometimes used medicinally.