Osmanthus

Osmanthus
Osmanthus heterophyllus in flower
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Lamiales
Family:	Oleaceae
Tribe:	Oleeae
Genus:	Osmanthus Lour.
Species
About 30 species; see text.

Osmanthus (pron.: /ɒzˈmænθəs/) is a genus of about 30 species of flowering plants in the family Oleaceae, mostly native to the warm temperate zone, from the Caucasus east to Japan, with one species (O. americanus) occurring in the southeastern United States, from Texas to Virginia. It is sometimes included in Nestegis.

Osmanthus range in size from shrubs to small trees, 2–12 m (7–39 ft) tall. The leaves are opposite, evergreen, and simple, with an entire, serrated or coarsely toothed margin. The flowers are produced in spring, summer or autumn, each flower being about 1 cm long, white, with a four-lobed tubular-based corolla ('petals'). The flowers grow in small panicles, and in several species have a strong fragrance. The fruit is a small (10-15 mm), hard-skinned dark blue to purple drupe containing a single seed.

Selected species

• Osmanthus americanus - Devilwood Osmanthus or Devilwood
• Osmanthus armatus
• Osmanthus decorus - Caucasian Osmanthus
• Osmanthus delavayi - Delavay's Osmanthus
• Osmanthus fragrans - Sweet Osmanthus, Sweet Olive, Fragrant Tea Olive
• Osmanthus heterophyllus - Chinese Osmanthus
• Osmanthus serrulatus
• Osmanthus suavis
• Osmanthus yunnanensis - Yunnan Osmanthus

Garden hybrids

• Osmanthus × burkwoodii (O. delavayi × O. decorus)
• Osmanthus × fortunei (O. fragrans × O. heterophyllus)

Cultivation and uses

Osmanthus are popular shrubs in parks and gardens throughout the warm temperate zone. Several hybrids and cultivars have been developed. In China, Osmanthus tea (Chinese: 桂花茶; pinyin: guìhuā chá) is produced by combining dried Sweet Osmanthus (Osmanthus fragrans) flowers (Chinese: 桂花; pinyin: guìhuā) with black or green tea leaves in much the same manner the more familiar jasmine tea combines jasmine flowers with tea leaves. In Japan, O. fragrans var. fragrans (syn. Osmanthus asiaticus) is a favourite garden shrub. Known as Gin-mokusei, its small white flowers appear in short stalked clusters in late autumn. It has an intense sweet fragrance. Another variant of O. fragrans with deep golden flowers, formerly called O. aurantiacus is popular in Japan, and known as Kin-mokusei.

Osmanthus oil derived from the flowers is used in perfumery.

Osmanthus flower on old wood, and produce more flowers if unpruned. A pruned shrub often produces few or no flowers for one to five or more years, before the new growth matures sufficiently to start flowering.

Traditional Chinese medicine claims that drinking osmanthus tea improves complexion and helps rid the body of excess nitric oxide, a compound that is linked to the formation of cancer, diabetes and renal disease.

Osmanthus decorus