What are the common varieties of osmanthus trees?

Osmanthus is a plant native to China and one of the ten traditional famous flowers of our country. The osmanthus tree has a beautiful form, stays green all year round, and bears small but fragrant flowers. Its simple, 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, and it is a common type with many cultivated varieties and extremely fragrant flowers. The main feature 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 germination 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 spring shoots; the other sprouting after flowering in autumn, called autumn shoots. The leaves of osmanthus are glossy and oily green, relatively thin and leathery, and it flowers in late September with a strong fragrance. When the flowers first open, the petals are tender yellow, and later gradually turn golden yellow, giving off a sweet scent so rich it can intoxicate people. This is a variety with relatively high economic and ornamental value. The main variety classifications of golden osmanthus are 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, with serrations on more than one third of the leaf margin, 6-9 pairs of veins, 2-3 pairs of flower buds in the leaf axils, corolla diameter 7-8 mm, flower shape inward-curling, petals medium yellow, strongly fragrant, pistil normally developed, stigma obvious, moderate flowering. Fruits 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 with sparse serrations, 7-9 pairs of veins, 2-3 pairs of flower buds in the leaf axils, corolla diameter 6-8 mm, flower shape inward-curling, corolla persistent and not shedding, petals medium yellow, strongly fragrant, pistil normally developed, stigma obvious, moderate flowering. Fruits 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, with serrations on more than two thirds of the leaf margin, 8-9 pairs of veins, 2-3 pairs of flower buds in the leaf axils, corolla diameter 9-10 mm, flower shape inward-curling, 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, with serrations on more than one third of the leaf margin, 7-8 pairs of veins, 1-3 pairs of flower buds in the leaf axils, corolla diameter 9-10 mm, flower shape inward-curling, 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, with serrations on more than one third of the leaf margin, 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, fruiting sparsely 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 recurved, 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 inward-curling, 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 inward-curling, 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 is smaller in tree form than golden osmanthus, with branches and leaves generally relatively sparse, a crown that appears oblong-spherical, and it sends out more autumn shoots than golden osmanthus. The leaves of silver osmanthus are mostly yellow-green, with a flat underside, and its flowering period is one week later than that of golden osmanthus. When the flowers first open, they are milky white, then gradually turn pale yellow, with fragrance spreading all around, reaching as far as several li; it is a good variety for greening courtyards. The main variety classifications of silver osmanthus are 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 inward-curling, petals yellow-white, moderately fragrant, 2 pistils, pistil stigma glossy, ovary normally developed, moderate flowering. Fruits after flowering. Flowering period, mid-September.

2. Baijie: a tree, about 7.5-8 m tall. Leaves long elliptical, 9-11 cm long, about 3.5 cm wide, apex acuminate, slightly recurved, 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 inward-curling, 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 colored, strongly fragrant, pistil degenerated, moderate flowering. Flowering period, late August to early September.