Osmanthus fragrans

[Palmə häl′ik]

Anyone else grow this wonderful smellin' shrub... Mine are goin' off right now!

[ron@springhammock]

Anyone else grow this wonderful smellin' shrub... Mine are goin' off right now!

Close...I have plenty devilwood out back, but not yet bloomin'. Do love when they do "go off".

[kahili]

I have one by the back door and its blooming now too. Its about 18' high. It seems to bloom several times a year here, I don't really think about it until someone asks "whats that smell". It isn't smelling much right now, probably because its cold and rainy . I think we planted it about 23 yrs ago. Its a nice tree to have.

[cagary]

I have a long 20 foot hedge of them here in southern CA.

They bloom several times a year. I love the smell.

The flowers are so small that people can't believe it is the Sweet Olive that is giving off the odor.

[Morabeza]

I was surprised to find when I moved to Honolulu and was working at the (recently closed ) Star Market Garden Shop in Mo'ili'ili that Osmanthus fragrans are somewhat popular here in town and are called Kwai Fah. We sold them in 4" pots as rooted cuttings and flew off the shelves with 24 hours of arriving!

They don't seem to ever grow full and lovely as they do on the mainland, let's say at least as I've seen in So. CA, but they can live for a long time here and bloom, even if they look more anorexic/anaemic then the foetuses that trot down catwalks during fashion week shows!

[daxin]

Below is my post on GOTE forum a while ago. If you have not seen it, I think the photo of some 1700-year-old Osmanthus fragrans trees is worth a look.

In its native land China, Osmanthus fragrans is divided into four sub-groups: Thunbergii (gold osmanthus), Latifolius (silver osmanthus), Aurantiacus (orange osmanthus, best for flower color), and Semperflorens (best for containers). There are many farms in Southern China growing the first two types for their essential oils. In the last 30 years, many new cultivars have been discovered within the last sub-group. The most famous ones are: Fudingzhu (Pearl on Buddha's Head), Rixianggui (Everyday Fragrance Osmanthus), and Tianxiangtaige (Heavenly Fragrant High-rise, refering to its flower-in-flower characteristic). All three will bloom for over 200 days per year in contrast with the typical 30-day blooming period in fall for the other O. f. subgroups. These also have better fragrance than typical O.f. semperflorens.

Osmanthus fragrans 'Nanjing's Beauty' is also a semperflorens cultivar that came out of Nanjing Botanical Garden in China. It was first introduced into North America by Piroche Nursery near Vancouver Canada. I called them to ask if it was the same as Fudingzhu, and they told me it is not.

Osmanthus fragrans needs summer heat to flourish, but its blooming is triggered by cool night temperature. It is one of the most beloved plants in China (Kwai Hua is Cantonese for Gui Hua, which is O.f.'s common name in Mandarin) and you can see them all over the country. The oldest specimen is in the city of Han Zhong not too far from Xi An. It is over 2000-year-old with a 6' diameter main trunk. Unfortunately, this natural wonder is almost near the end of its life. However, in another temple in the same city, there are two other 1700-year-old Osmanthus fragrans that are still quite healthy and strong. Here is a photo of them from a Chinese website:

[Eric in Orlando]

Below is my post on GOTE forum a while ago. If you have not seen it, I think the photo of some 1700-year-old Osmanthus fragrans trees is worth a look.

In its native land China, Osmanthus fragrans is divided into four sub-groups: Thunbergii (gold osmanthus), Latifolius (silver osmanthus), Aurantiacus (orange osmanthus, best for flower color), and Semperflorens (best for containers). There are many farms in Southern China growing the first two types for their essential oils. In the last 30 years, many new cultivars have been discovered within the last sub-group. The most famous ones are: Fudingzhu (Pearl on Buddha's Head), Rixianggui (Everyday Fragrance Osmanthus), and Tianxiangtaige (Heavenly Fragrant High-rise, refering to its flower-in-flower characteristic). All three will bloom for over 200 days per year in contrast with the typical 30-day blooming period in fall for the other O. f. subgroups. These also have better fragrance than typical O.f. semperflorens.

Osmanthus fragrans 'Nanjing's Beauty' is also a semperflorens cultivar that came out of Nanjing Botanical Garden in China. It was first introduced into North America by Piroche Nursery near Vancouver Canada. I called them to ask if it was the same as Fudingzhu, and they told me it is not.

Osmanthus fragrans needs summer heat to flourish, but its blooming is triggered by cool night temperature. It is one of the most beloved plants in China (Kwai Hua is Cantonese for Gui Hua, which is O.f.'s common name in Mandarin) and you can see them all over the country. The oldest specimen is in the city of Han Zhong not too far from Xi An. It is over 2000-year-old with a 6' diameter main trunk. Unfortunately, this natural wonder is almost near the end of its life. However, in another temple in the same city, there are two other 1700-year-old Osmanthus fragrans that are still quite healthy and strong. Here is a photo of them from a Chinese website:

WOW! Hard to believe those are Osmanthus fragrans !!!