What are the latest common varieties of osmanthus trees?

Osmanthus is a plant endemic to China and one of the traditional top ten famous flowers of our country. The osmanthus tree has a beautiful form, stays green all year round, and bears small but fragrant flowers; its quaint, elegant, clear and graceful style is deeply loved by people. Osmanthus is mainly divided into four categories: golden osmanthus, silver osmanthus, red osmanthus and four-season osmanthus, and each category has different varieties, as detailed below.

Golden Osmanthus

The flowers of golden osmanthus are yellow; it is a common type with many cultivated varieties and extremely fragrant flowers. The main characteristic of golden osmanthus is that it opens golden-yellow flowers. This variety has a tall, upright plant form, a round spherical crown, luxuriant branches and leaves, and strong, well-developed branches. Its budding period is early, and it can send out shoots twice a year: once beginning to sprout in early March and stopping growth by the end of April, generally called the spring shoot; the other sprouting after flowering in autumn, called the autumn shoot. The leaves of osmanthus are bright and glossy green, relatively thin and leathery, and it blooms in late September with a strong fragrance. When the flowers first open, the petals are tender yellow, later gradually turning golden yellow, giving off a sweet scent that is so rich it can make one intoxicated; this is a variety with relatively high economic and ornamental value. The main varieties of golden osmanthus are classified as follows:

1. Late Golden Osmanthus: a large shrub, 4.5-5 m tall. Leaves ovate, 11-12 cm long, 5-6 cm wide, apex acuminate, more than one third of the leaf margin serrate, 6-9 pairs of veins, 2-3 pairs of flower buds in the leaf axils, corolla diameter 7-8 mm, flower shape incurved, petals medium yellow, strongly fragrant, pistil normally developed, stigma obvious, moderate flowering. It sets fruit after flowering. Flowering period, late September.

2. Large-leaf Yellow: a tree, 6.5-7 m tall. Leaves elliptical, 11-12 cm long, about 5 cm wide, apex acuminate, leaf margin entire or sparsely serrate, 7-9 pairs of veins, 2-3 pairs of flower buds in the leaf axils, corolla diameter 6-8 mm, flower shape incurved, corolla persistent and not shedding, petals medium yellow, strongly fragrant, pistil normally developed, stigma obvious, moderate flowering. It sets fruit after flowering. Flowering period, late September.

3. Large-leaf Golden Osmanthus: a large shrub, 4.5-5 m tall. Leaves long elliptical, 10-11 cm long, 3.5-4 cm wide, apex acuminate, more than two thirds of the leaf margin serrate, 8-9 pairs of veins, 2-3 pairs of flower buds in the leaf axils, corolla diameter 9-10 mm, flower shape incurved, petals lemon yellow, strongly fragrant, pistil degenerated, densely flowering. Flowering period, mid-September.

4. Serrate-leaf Golden Osmanthus: a large shrub, 4.5-5 m tall. Leaves lanceolate, 11-12 cm long, about 3.3 cm wide, apex acuminate, more than one third of the leaf margin serrate, 7-8 pairs of veins, 1-3 pairs of flower buds in the leaf axils, corolla diameter 9-10 mm, flower shape incurved, petals lemon yellow, moderately fragrant, pistil degenerated, sparsely flowering. Flowering period, late September.

5. Large-leaf Seed Golden Osmanthus: a tree, 5.2-6 m tall. Leaves long elliptical, 12-14 cm long, 3.8-4.9 cm wide, apex acuminate, more than one third of the leaf margin serrate, 7-9 pairs of veins, 1-2 pairs of flower buds in the leaf axils, corolla diameter 6-8 mm, petals pale golden yellow, moderately fragrant, pistil normally developed, sparsely setting fruit after flowering, sparsely flowering. Flowering period, late September.

6. Willow-leaf Su Osmanthus: a large shrub, 3.8-4.5 m tall. Leaves lanceolate, 9.5-10.5 cm long, 6.5-7.9 cm wide, apex acuminate, slightly revolute, leaf margin wavy and entire, 6-8 pairs of veins, 1-2 pairs of flower buds in the leaf axils, corolla diameter about 8 mm, flower shape slightly incurved, petals lemon yellow, slightly fragrant, pistil degenerated, densely flowering. Flowering period, late September.

7. Wavy-leaf Golden Osmanthus: a tree, about 6 m tall. Leaves long elliptical, 10-11 cm long, 3-3.5 cm wide, apex acuminate, leaf margin wavy and entire, 7-9 pairs of veins, 1-2 pairs of flower buds in the leaf axils, corolla diameter 8-10 mm, flower shape slightly incurved, petals lemon yellow, moderately fragrant, pistil degenerated, moderate flowering. Flowering period, late September

Silver Osmanthus

Silver osmanthus has smaller leaves, extremely fragrant white flowers. This variety's tree form is smaller than that of golden osmanthus, its branches and leaves are generally relatively sparse, its crown is oblong spherical, and it sends out more autumn shoots than golden osmanthus. The leaves of silver osmanthus are mostly yellow-green, flat on the underside; its flowering period is one week later than that of golden osmanthus. When the flowers first open they are milky white, later gradually turning pale yellow, with fragrance spreading in all directions, reaching as far as several li; it is a good variety for greening courtyards. The main varieties of silver osmanthus are classified as follows:

1. Seed-root Osmanthus: a tree, 5.4-6 m tall. Leaves obovate-lanceolate, 7-8 cm long, about 3-3.5 cm wide, apex acuminate, margin entire or with sparse teeth on the middle and upper part, 7 pairs of veins, mostly 1 pair of flower buds in the leaf axils, corolla diameter 6-8 mm, flower shape slightly incurved, petals yellow-white, moderately fragrant, 2 pistils, pistil stigma glossy, ovary normally developed, moderate flowering. It sets fruit after flowering. Flowering period, mid-September.

2. White Jade: a tree, about 7.5-8 m tall. Leaves long elliptical, 9-11 cm long, about 3.5 cm wide, apex acuminate, slightly revolute, leaf margin wavy and entire, 8-9 pairs of veins, mostly 2 pairs of flower buds in the leaf axils, corolla diameter 8-9 mm, flower shape slightly incurved, petals silver-white, slightly fragrant, pistil degenerated, densely flowering. Flowering period, mid-to-late September.

3. Late Silver Osmanthus: a tree, 5-6 m tall. Leaves lanceolate, 8-9 cm long, about 3-3.5 cm wide, apex acuminate, leaf margin entire, 6-7 pairs of veins, mostly 1 pair of flower buds in the leaf axils, corolla diameter 7-8 mm, flower bell-shaped, petals yellow-white, strongly fragrant, pistil degenerated, moderate flowering. Flowering period, around National Day, lasting slightly longer.

4. Early Silver Osmanthus: a large shrub, 4-4.5 m tall. Leaves long elliptical, 8-10 cm long, about 3-3.5 cm wide, apex acuminate, leaves relatively flat, main vein slightly sunken, leaf margin serrate, 6 pairs of lateral veins, mostly 1 pair of flower buds in the leaf axils, corolla diameter 6-7 mm, petals milky yellow to lemon, strongly fragrant, pistil degenerated, moderate flowering. Flowering period, late August to early September.