Forsythia

Forsythia suspensa, the weeping forsythia or golden-bell, is a flowering shrub of the olive family, native to China. It is deciduous, grows up to 3 metres tall and has golden-yellow flowers in March and April, followed by broadly ovate leaves. It grows in thickets and grassy places on slopes and in valleys, and has been introduced to Japan, Korea, Spain, Bulgaria, Czechia, Slovakia and parts of the United States. It can be grown as a weeping shrub on stream banks and is prized in gardens for its toughness. It is one of the 50 fundamental herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine, and it contains the lignans pinoresinol and phillyrin. Before Forsythia × intermedia was known as a wild Chinese species, F. suspensa was considered one of its parents.