Osmanthus fragrans Fragrant Olive

An evergreen shrub with glossy, dark green, leathery leaves which is native to the Himalaya, China and Japan. It produces clusters of small, white flowers, usually in late summer and autumn (sometimes in spring) which have a heavy, sweet scent which fills the air in the vicinity. The fruit is a small berry-like drupe with one seed. It is often planted as amenity hedging on industrial states and in parks, but it does not occur naturalised.