Osmanthus heterophyllus
Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- oz-MAN-thus het-er-oh-FIL-us
- Description
-
False Holly is a large, dense, upright, oval-rounded evergreen shrub that grows 15' tall. This plant blooms in the late fall into winter and has inconspicuous flowers that are highly aromatic and pungently sweet. Fruit ripens the year after it is produced, but it is rarely seen in cultivation and is not showy. Leaves in the upper part of the plant (adult morphology leaves) are entire, while those in the lower part tend to be toothed (juvenile morphology). O. x fortunei has broader and larger leaves with more numerous and evenly spaced spines. Leaves on False Holly look like Ilex aquipernyi, but False Holly has opposite leaves. This plant is used in hedges, screens, foundations, barriers, or as a specimen plant. Plant it in partial shade to full sun in moist, well-drained, acidic soils. It tolerates alkaline soils, pollution, drought, heat, and urban conditions. It has a slow growth rate and withstands heavy pruning. It is easily transplanted, has no serious pest or disease problems, and is particularly resistant to damage by deer.
Quick ID Hints:
- Leaves are opposite, decussate, narrow, elliptic, and evergreen
- Both entire leaves and leaves with 1-4 spiny teeth
- Very fragrant, white, inconspicuous axillary fall flowers
VIDEO created by Andy Pulte for “Landscape Plant Identification, Taxonomy and Morphology” a plant identification course offered by the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee.
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscapes:
- Cottage Style Foundation Planting Plant Walls and Hedges Satellite Dish Fountain
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- 'Goshiki' - green and gold variegated
- 'Ilicifolius'
Bushy form with prominent lobed spines new growth bronze. - 'Myrtifolius'
adult form, all leaves elliptic, entire, and only a terminal spine - 'Rotundifolius'
slow growing dwarf form with remnants of lobed spines, less cold hardy, margins have blunt bumps - 'Variegatus'
leaves are green with creamy white margins
- 'Goshiki' - green and gold variegated
- 'Goshiki' - green and gold variegated, 'Ilicifolius', 'Myrtifolius', 'Rotundifolius', 'Variegatus'
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- 'Goshiki' - green and gold variegated
- 'Ilicifolius'
Bushy form with prominent lobed spines new growth bronze. - 'Myrtifolius'
adult form, all leaves elliptic, entire, and only a terminal spine - 'Rotundifolius'
slow growing dwarf form with remnants of lobed spines, less cold hardy, margins have blunt bumps - 'Variegatus'
leaves are green with creamy white margins
- 'Goshiki' - green and gold variegated
- 'Goshiki' - green and gold variegated, 'Ilicifolius', 'Myrtifolius', 'Rotundifolius', 'Variegatus'
- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Osmanthus
- Species:
- heterophyllus
- Family:
- Oleaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Woody
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Korea, Japan, China
- Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems):
- Deer browsing
- Dimensions:
- Height: 6 ft. 0 in. - 21 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 5 ft. 0 in. - 10 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Shrub
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Broadleaf Evergreen
- Habit/Form:
- Dense
- Oval
- Growth Rate:
- Slow
- Maintenance:
- Low
- Texture:
- Coarse
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Alkaline (>8.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Available Space To Plant:
- 6-feet-12 feet
- 12-24 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9b, 9a
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Black
- Blue
- Purple/Lavender
- Fruit Type:
- Drupe
- Fruit Length:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- Ovoid, bluish purple-black to black drupe less than an inch in size that is seldom seen in cultivation.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- White
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Cyme
- Insignificant
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Fall
- Flower Description:
- Flowers are plentiful white, sweet smelling, and are less than an inch in diameter. They have a 4-toothed calyx. Corolla's are campanulate and 4-lobed (lobes are reflexed). There are 2 yellow stamens per flower. Flowers bloom in the late fall, inflorescence is a short, axillary cyme.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Broadleaf Evergreen
- Leaf Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Leathery
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Opposite
- Leaf Shape:
- Elliptical
- Oblong
- Leaf Margin:
- Entire
- Lobed
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Leaves are opposite, decussate, simple, coriaceous, elliptic to elliptic-oblong, acuminate-spinose, cuneate to broadly cuneate, entire or with 1-4 pairs of prominent triangular lobes bearing a spine. They are lustrous dark green above, yellow-green and reticulate beneath 1-2" long and 1-2" wide.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Cream/Tan
- Gray/Silver
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Lenticels:
- Conspicuous
- Stem Description:
- Twigs are light gray to tan with numerous, extremely small raised lenticels.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Woodland
- Landscape Theme:
- Drought Tolerant Garden
- Garden for the Blind
- Nighttime Garden
- Winter Garden
- Design Feature:
- Barrier
- Foundation Planting
- Hedge
- Screen/Privacy
- Security
- Specimen
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Deer
- Drought
- Heat
- Pollution
- Urban Conditions
