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| Family | Oleaceae. |
| Genus & Species | Osmanthus fragrans |
| AKA | Osmanthus longibracteatus. Osmanthus macrocarpus. Olea ovalis. Olea fragrans. |
| Common Names | Sweet olive. Fragrant olive. Tea olive. Fragrant tea olive. Sweet osmanthus. |
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| Size/Shape | Grows to 2-4’ in containers. Shrub or small tree. Slow growing. Older plants grow as wide as tall and develop a vase shape with several main trunks typically originating close to the ground. |
| Leaves | The opposite leaves are a dark, shiny green and the edges may be finely toothed or smooth with both types present on the same individual. As the plant matures, most of the foliage is held at the outermost ends of the stems. The lustrous, medium-green leaves have paler undersides. Leaves are 2 to 4 inches. |
| Flowers | Clusters of cream-colored miniature flowers. Tiny white flowers borne in clusters carried tight to the stem. A multitude of small white blossoms. Small and inconspicuous white flowers. |
| Blooming Season | Fall and winter. Spring and fall. Any time of the year, but particularly in the spring. Winter and early spring, then blooms sporadically throughout summer. |
| Fragrance | An orange blossom fragrance. So strongly and deliciously fragrant are the flowers, that even just one of them will perfume an entire conservatory. Apricot-scented. The fragrance is powerful and exquisite. Deliciously fragrant flowers. Leaves are aromatic too. Flowers have a fruity-floral apricot aroma. Aroma materials produced by carotenoid degradation. Extremely fragrant. They perfume a large area of the landscape. Deliciously fragrant flowers which carry the scent of ripe peaches or apricots. Apricot/rose scent. Extremely sweet smelling flowers. |
| Use | Used in only the most expensive perfumes and flavors. Osmanthus is an expensive, but important tool for the perfumer. It is especially valued as an additive for tea and other beverages in the far east. Its flowers are used, infused with green or black tea leaves, to create a scented tea. In China the flowers are also used to produce osmanthus-scented jam, sweet cakes, dumplings, soups, and even liquor. The unripe fruits are preserved in brine like olives. The very fragrant flowers are used by the Chinese to impart a pleasant aroma to tea, wine and sweet dishes such as lotus seed soup, pastries and steamed pears. An essential oil is obtained from the flowers. The flowers are used as an insect repellent for clothes. The flowers are sometimes available in oriental stores, preserved in sweetened brine or as a sugary paste called 'cassia blossom jam'. Dried flowers are sold for teas. In Guangxi province in the city of Guilin, the leaves from the osmanthus are sometimes mixed in with partially fermented green tea to produce a lovely aromatic tea. For flowery "hua" tea, crushed osmanthus blossoms are added to black tea to produce the delightful Guangxi Guihua. Recipes: http://tinyurl.com/fqxs2 |
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| Propagation | Medium wood cuttings. Softwood to woody cuttings. Seed does not store well; sow as soon as possible. Allow seedheads to dry on plants; remove and collect seeds. Seeds can take a very long time to germinate. Seed best sown as soon as it is ripe. The seed usually takes 6 - 18 months to germinate. |
| Soil | Reasonably good soil. Does not like poor sandy soil. Acidic to neutral. Well drained soil. Tolerates heavy clays. Very well drained soil is a must. Add as much organic matter as you can. The plant still likes rich acid type soil. Acid, neutral or alkaline. Alkaline, light and well drained. Light to heavy soils. |
| Water | Moist. Little water once established. Moist to average. Water regularly; do not overwater. Moist. |
| Food | Little or no fertilizer. |
| Pruning | May be pruned to maintain size and encourage branching. Plants can be clipped to form a denser canopy, but flowers form on old growth and removing branches will reduce the flower display. With time, older plants can be trained into a small, multi-trunked tree. Can be pruned for height. |
| Light | Full or partial sun. Full sun to light shade. The young plants need some shade, and will tolerate sun only after they mature. Morning sun with afternoon shade or high shifting shade is ideal. Plants thin somewhat in the partial shade, but form a dense crown in a sunny location. A sunny spot. |
| Climate | Cool. Zone 9 and higher. Minimum temperature 35°. Requires winter night temperatures below 60° to bloom. 8b-11. Hardy to 20°F (-7°C), will generally survive down to 10°F (-12°C). When the plant is established, some snow and ice will not hurt it. Hardy to zone 8. |
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| Source to Buy | Logees plant. Chilterns seeds. |
| http://tinyurl.com/j5mqj | |
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