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Osmanthus americana

Common name:		Family:	Oleaceae
Author:	(L.)A.Gray.	Botanical references:	43
Synonyms:	Olea americana (L.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Eastern N. America - Florida to Louisiana, north to Virginia.
Habitat:	Rich woods, swamps and bluffs[43].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	1	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	O. americanus[B,G,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Devilwood [B,DEN2,P],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	cana = grayed due to hairs
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Scrophulariales. Olive family

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen tree growing to 15m. . It is in leaf all year. The scented flowers are dioecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but only one sex is to be found on any one plant so both male and female plants must be grown if seed is required). The plant not is self-fertile. We rate it 1/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil. The plant can tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure.

Edible Uses

Fruit.

Fruit[2, 177]. This needs further verification[K].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

Wood.

Wood - heavy, very hard, strong, durable, difficult to work[46, 61].

Cultivation details

We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy outdoors in Britain, though judging by its native range it is likely to be succeed outdoors at least in the milder areas of the country. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus.
Prefers a good loamy soil[1], but succeeds in most soils in sun or part shade[11, 184].
Plants are very tolerant of being transplanted, moving well even when quite large[182].
The flowers are deliciously scented[182]. If plants are clipped after flowering they will flower more freely each year[200].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a coldframe[200]. Stored seed probably germinates best if it is given 3 months warm then 3 months cold stratification before sowing[113]. 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[11].
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[78].
Layering in spring[200] or autumn[78]. Partially sever the layer leads in the following late summer and plant out in the autumn. High percentage[78].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

References for Osmanthus americanus (a possible synonym).

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[DEN] Data _ Photos (Good Identification info) from the Virginia Tech's Dendrology Deptarments' Tree Fact Sheets.

References for the family Oleaceae.

[CHINA] Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[43] Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950
A bit dated but good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[78] Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948
A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.

[113] Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press 1987 ISBN 0942375009
A very detailed book on propagating trees. Not for the casual reader.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[182] Thomas. G. S. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray 1992 ISBN 0-7195-5043-2
Contains a wide range of plants with a brief description, mainly of their ornamental value but also usually of cultivation details and varieties.

[184] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Shrubs. Pan Books 1989 ISBN 0-330-30258-2
Excellent photographs and a terse description of 1900 species and cultivars.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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