木犀 mu xi

Olea fragrans Thunberg ex Murray, Syst. Veg. ed. 14, 57. 1784; O. ovalis Miquel; Osmanthus longibracteatus H. T. Chang; O. macrocarpus P. Y. Bai.

Trees or shrubs 3-5(-10) m, glabrous. Petiole 0.8-1.2 (-1.5) cm; leaf blade elliptic to elliptic-lanceolate, 7-14.5 × 2.6-4.5 cm, base cuneate or broadly cuneate, margin entire or usually serrulate along distal half, apex acuminate; midrib and 6-8(-10) primary veins adaxially impressed and abaxially raised. Cymes fascicled in leaf axils, many flowered; bracts broadly ovate, 2-4 mm. Pedicel 4-10 mm. Calyx ca. 1 mm. Corolla yellowish, yellow, or orange, 3-4 mm; tube 0.5-1 mm. Stamens attached to middle of corolla tube; connective elongated into an obscure mucro. Drupe purple-black, ellipsoid, oblique, 1-1.5 cm. Fl. Sep-Oct, fr. Mar. 2n = 46*.

* Guizhou, Sichuan, Yunnan.

Widely cultivated for the perfume of flowers. Varieties based on flower color are only cultivars.