Fragrant Olive

This morning I noticed that the Fragrant Olive by the butterfly garden has gone into bloom. The tiny white flowers may not look terribly impressive, but their perfume is glorious! In combination with another plant I will highlight tomorrow, the Butterfly garden is a deliciously scented place for a stroll right now!

Known also as Tea Olive or Sweet Olive, Fragrant Olive (Osmanthus fragrans) is true to its name. Deliciously fragrant, the stark white blossoms of Osmanthus may be small but they draw the attention of visitors who are searching for the source of that delightful perfume on the air.

Fragrant olive is slow-growing but long lived. In time this evergreen plant can reach heights up to about 20 feet but in generally found at heights of 6 to 10 feet in a garden landscape. Osmanthus generally blooms throughout fall, winter and early spring but may also produce occasional flowers throughout the summer. The MOSI gardens are host to four Osmanthus plants, two near the butterfly garden enclosure and two young plants in the sensory garden beneath the Ray Charles Live Oak in the tree grove.

Fragrant olive is used in teas and in perfumes. Read more at this link about how the scent of these flowers is produced through the breakdown of beta-carotene and other hydrocarbons found resident in the Osmanthus plant. Hooray for science.