Osmanthus fragrans
Origin: China
Improvement status: Cultivated
Seeds per packet: ~12
BOTANICAL SAMPLE - NOT GERMINATION TESTED
Life cycle: Perennial
Sweet osmanthis is an olive-family evergreen shrub or small tree from China, Japan, and Taiwan. It is a beautiful landscape tree, with orange to cream-colored flowers. But it is not just a pretty face! Those flowers, in addition to being lovely and fragrant, are delicious. They are used in all manner of teas, wines, jams, cakes, and even soups, both sweet and savory. Osmanthus flowers soaked in honey are especially delicious. Apparently the flower can also be used to make an insect repellent, and they are also utilized in Traditional Chinese Medicine, particularly to promote regular menstruation and provide neuroprotective benefits. Be on the lookout: osmanthus is starting to turn up in consumer products in the US, notably including a delicious kombucha made in New York state.
GROWING TIPS: Sweet osmanthus does best in Zones 8-10 (it’s marginal in 7 and 11). Germination tends to be slow and is aided by stratification. Seeds should be warm-moist stratified for 90 days, then cold-moist stratified for another 90 days.
NOTE: The photo of the full tree is from user Dalgial and is reproduced here under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Others are in the public domain.
