Osmanthus

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Osmanthus
Osmanthus heterophyllus1.jpg
Osmanthus heterophyllus in flower
Scientific classification e
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Oleaceae
Tribe: Oleeae
Subtribe:
Genus: Osmanthus
Lour.
Synonyms[1][2]
  • Siphonosmanthus Stapf

Osmanthus /ɒzˈmænθəs/[3] is a genus of about 30 species of flowering plants in the family Oleaceae. Most of the species are native to eastern Asia (China, Japan, Korea, Indochina, the Himalayas, etc.) with a few species from the Caucasus, New Caledonia and Sumatra.[1][4]

Osmanthus range in size from shrubs to small trees, 2–12 m (7–39 ft) tall. The leaves are opposite, evergreen, and simple, with an entire, serrated or coarsely toothed margin. The flowers are produced in spring, summer or autumn, each flower being about 1 cm long, white, with a four-lobed tubular-based corolla ('petals'). The flowers grow in small panicles, and in several species have a strong fragrance. The fruit is a small (10–15 mm), hard-skinned dark blue to purple drupe containing a single seed.[4]

Species[]

Species accepted:[1][4]

  1. Osmanthus armatus Diels – Shaanxi, Sichuan, Hubei, Hunan
  2. P.S.Green – Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan
  3. (Vieill.) Knobl. – New Caledonia
  4. Hemsl. – Anhui, Fujian, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Zhejiang
  5. (Guillaumin) P.S.Green – New Caledonia
  6. (Boiss. & Balansa) Kasapligil – Caucasian osmanthus – Turkey, Caucasus
  7. Osmanthus delavayi Franch. – Guizhou, Sichuan, Yunnan
  8. P.S.Green – Guangdong, Hainan
  9. Masam. & T.Mori – Taiwan, Nansei-shoto
  10. Hemsl. – Guangdong, Guangxi
  11. Osmanthus fragrans Lour. – Sweet osmanthus, sweet olive, fragrant tea olive – Himalayas (northern and eastern India, Nepal, Bhutan, Assam), Indochina (Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam), Japan, China (Guizhou, Sichuan, Yunnan, Sichuan), Taiwan
  12. L.C.Chia ex R.L.Lu – Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Jiangxi, Zhejiang
  13. P.S.Green – Hainan
  14. P.S.Green – Guizhou, Hunan, Yunnan
  15. Osmanthus heterophyllus (G.Don) P.S.Green – Holly osmanthus, holly olive, false holly, mock holly, hiiragi – Japan, Taiwan, Nansei-shoto
  16. Koidz. – Korea, Japan, Nansei-shoto, Ogasawara-shoto,
  17. T.Yamaz – Nansei-shoto
  18. (T.S.Liu & J.C.Liao) S.Y.Lu – Taiwan
  19. Hayata – Taiwan
  20. (Schltr.) Knobl. – New Caledonia
  21. L.C.Chia ex H.T.Chang – Guangdong
  22. P.S.Green – Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hunan, Sichuan
  23. Nakai – Kyushu
  24. Rehder in C.S.Sargent – Sichuan
  25. King ex C.B.Clarke in J.D.Hooker – Assam, Bhutan, Nepal, Sikkim, Myanmar, Yunnan, Tibet
  26. P.S.Green - Sichuan, Hubei
  27. Pamp. – Hubei
  28. Osmanthus yunnanensis (Franch.) P.S.Green – Yunnan, Tibet

Species transferred to Cartrema:[2][5]

  1. Osmanthus americanus (L.) A.Gray – Devilwood – southeastern US from Texas to Virginia; eastern and southern Mexico
  2. Osmanthus floridanus Chapman - Florida
  3. (Champ. ex Benth.) Hemsl. – Nansei-shoto, Taiwan, Vietnam, Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Hunan, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang
  4. Hayata – Assam, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Anhui, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Jiangxi, Taiwan, Yunnan, Zhejiang
  5. P.S.Green – Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Jiangxi, Zhejiang
  6. King & Gamble – Thailand, Sumatra, Pen Malaysia
  7. P.S.Green – Sumatra
Garden hybrids
  • Osmanthus × burkwoodii (Burkwood & Skipwith) P.S.Green (O. delavayi × O. decorus)
  • Osmanthus × fortunei Carrière (O. fragrans × O. heterophyllus)

Cultivation[]

Osmanthus decorus

Osmanthus are popular shrubs in parks and gardens throughout the warm temperate zone. Several hybrids and cultivars have been developed. Osmanthus flower on old wood and produce more flowers if unpruned. A pruned shrub often produces few or no flowers for one to five or more years, before the new growth matures sufficiently to start flowering.

In Japan, Osmanthus fragrans Lour. var. aurantiacus Makino (fragrant orange-colored olive) (kin-mokusei) is a favorite garden shrub. Its small deep golden flowers appear in short-stalked clusters in late autumn. It has an intense sweet fragrance. A variant with white flowers (gin-mokusei) is also popular.

Uses[]

Main article: Osmanthus fragrans

The flowers of O. fragrans are used throughout East Asia for their scent and flavour, which is likened to apricot and peach.

In China, (桂花茶, guìhuāchá) combines sweet osmanthus flowers with black or green tea leaves. Sweet osmanthus and osmanthus tea are particularly associated with the city of Guilin (桂林, literally "Forest of Sweet Osmanthus").

Osmanthus wine is prepared by infusing whole Osmanthus fragrans flowers in huangjiu or other types of rice wine and is traditionally consumed during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Nesom, G.L. 2012. Synopsis of American Cartrema (Oleaceae). Phytoneuron 2012-96: 1–11.
  3. ^ Sunset Western Garden Book, 1995:606–607
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c Flora of China, v 15 p 286, 木犀属 mu xi shu, Osmanthus Loureiro, Fl. Cochinch. 1: 28. 1790.
  5. ^ José Ignacio De Juana Clavero, Cambios nomenclaturales en la sección Leiolea (Spach) P. S. Green, del género Osmanthus Lour. (Oleaceae), Bouteloua 22: 28-39 (XI-2015)

External links[]

Retrieved from ""