The species is native to China, in the area of Yunnan and West Sichuan, where it grows in scrub form along streams at 1,200–3,000 m (3,900–9,800 ft).

The creamy white, fragrant flowers, appearing at the end of spring,[3] are 6 millimeters long, and grow in pairs.

'Edmee Gold')[12] When planted, the species should be put in the full sun to light shade in fertile, well-drained soil.

[14][15] At Osborne House, a holiday home built in 1845 on the Isle of Wight for Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert, there are L. nitida shrubs clipped in the form of stags rising from beds of Felicia amelloides, Festuca glauca, and Pelargonium inquinans.

Because it is an energetic grower, it is possible to collect old and quite sizable L. nitida from the landscape or growing wild, cut most of the roots and branches off to start from scratch to build a new tree-like form.