Osmanthus fragrans
| Osmanthus fragrans | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 9 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Evergreen | |
| Height: | 20' |
| Width: | 20' |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Late Summer |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Osmanthus fragrans (common name: fragrant olive)
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a coldframe[1]. Stored seed probably germinates best if it is given 3 months warm then 3 months cold stratification before sowing[2]. The seed usually takes 6 - 18 months to germinate, it should be pricked out into individual pots when it is large enough to handle. Grow the plants on for their first winter in the greenhouse and plant them out in early summer.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood taken at the end of July, in a frame with bottom heat[3].
Cuttings of almost ripe wood, 7 - 12cm with a heel, September/October in a cold frame. A good percentage. Plant out in the spring 18 months later[4].
Layering in spring[1] or autumn[4]. Partially sever the layer leads in the following late summer and plant out in the autumn. High percentage[4].
Cultivation: Easily grown in any well-drained soil in sun or part shade[3][1], but flowering more freely in a sunny position[3]. Thrives in chalky conditions[3]. Dislikes unduly exposed positions[3], and requires shelter from freezing winds[1].
Not very hardy outdoors in Britain[3], it succeeds on a wall in Cornwall[5] or in a woodland garden in the milder areas of the country[6].
The flowers are very fragrant[7]. They are sometimes available in oriental stores, preserved in sweetened brine or as a sugary paste called 'cassia blossom jam'[8].
Range: E. Asia - China, Japan, Himalayas.
Habitat: Mountains of S. Japan[9]. 1200 - 2100 metres in the Himalayas[10]. Forests, in association with Ilex dipyrena and Castanopsis spp, at elevations of 1300 - 3000 metres in Nepal[11].
Edibility: The unripe fruits are preserved in brine like olives[8].
The very fragrant flowers are used by the Chinese to impart a pleasant aroma to tea, wine and sweet dishes such as lotus seed soup, pastries and steamed pears[12][13][14][8]. They are also added to herbal medicines in order to disguise obnoxious flavours[15]. The flowers have a scent of apricots[10].
Medicinal: The flowers are antitussive[16]. They are used in cosmetics for the hair and skin, but are mostly used to flavour other medicines[16].
A decoction of the stem bark is used in the treatment of boils, carbuncles etc[16]. A past made from the stem or bark is used in the treatment of boils, carbuncles, whoping cough and retinitis[11].
A decoction of the lateral roots is used in the treatment of dysmenorrhoea, rheumatism, bruises etc[16].
Usage: An essential oil is obtained from the flowers[15]. Used as a flavouring.
The flowers are used as an insect repellent for clothes[10].
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: Olea fragrans.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Dirr, Michael and Charles Heuser. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press, 1987.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Sheat, Wilfrid. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. St Martin, 1948.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Taylor, Jane. The Milder Garden. Dent, 1990.
- ↑ Grey-Wilson, Christopher and Victoria Matthews. Gardening on Walls. Collins, 1983.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Ohwi, Jisaburo. Flora of Japan. Smithsonian Institution, 1965.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Gamble, James. A Manual of Indian Timbers. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, 1972.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Manandhar, Narayan. Plants and People of Nepal. Timber Press, 2002.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Stuart, George. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei Southern Materials Centre.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.