Osmanthus americanus
| American olive devilwood | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leaves of O. americanus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Oleaceae |
| Genus: | Osmanthus |
| Species: | O. americanus |
| Binomial name | |
| Osmanthus americanus (L.) Benth. & Hook.f. ex A.Gray | |
| Synonyms[1][2] | |
| |
Osmanthus americanus, commonly called American olive,[3] wild olive,[3] or devilwood,[3] is an evergreen shrub or small tree[3] native to southeastern North America, in the United States from Virginia to Texas, and in Mexico from Nuevo León south to Oaxaca and Veracruz.[4][5]
Osmanthus americanus grows to 4–7 m (13–23 ft), rarely to 11 m (36 ft) tall. The leaves are 5–14 cm (2.0–5.5 in) long and 2–4 cm (0.79–1.57 in) broad, with an entire margin. Its flowers, produced in early spring, are small (1 cm long), white, with a four-lobed corolla and have a strong fragrance. The fruit is a globose dark blue drupe 6–15 mm (0.24–0.59 in) diameter, containing a single seed.[6][7][8]
It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in gardens for its fragrant flowers.
References
- ↑ "The Plant List".
- ↑ "The International Plant Names Index".
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Bailey, L.H.; Bailey, E.Z.; the staff of the Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium (1976). Hortus third: A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada. New York: Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-02-505470-7.
- ↑ Germplasm Resources Information Network: Osmanthus americanus
- ↑ Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, Osmanthus americanus
- ↑ Weaver, R. E. (2003). Botany Section. Tri-ology 42 (6): 1-16 pdf file
- ↑ Centenary College Virtual Arboretum, Louisiana: Osmanthus americanus
- ↑ Huxley, A., ed. (1992). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. Macmillan ISBN 0-333-47494-5.
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