False Olive Osmanthus heterophyllus

Other Common Name(s):

Previously known as:

Osmanthus aquifolium
Osmanthus ilicifolius

Phonetic Spelling

oz-MAN-thus het-er-oh-FILL-us

Description

False holly is a broadleaf, evergreen shrub with a dense habit in the olive family (Oleaceae). It is native to Taiwan, Japan and the Korean peninsula. This plant is prized for its foliage and its small but highly fragrant flowers. The scientific name comes from the Greek words for fragrant (osme) and flower (anthos). The specific epithet, heterophyllus, is from the Greek hetero, meaning diverse, and phyllus meaning leaf.

False holly prefers 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. When pruning, keep in mind that next season's blossoms will appear on old (this year’s) growth. Pruning may diminish next year’s floral display. It is easily transplanted and is resistant to damage by deer.

False Holly is a large, dense, upright, oval-rounded evergreen shrub or small tree. It blooms in the late fall into winter and has inconspicuous flowers that are pungently sweet. Fruit ripens the year after it is produced, but it is rarely seen in cultivation and is not showy. The deep dark green leaves have entire margins in the upper part of the plant (adult morphology), while those in the lower part tend to be toothed (juvenile morphology).

False holly's leaves have an opposite arrangement whereas the leaves of true holly (Ilex spp.) are alternate. False holly is one of the parents of Fortune’s osmanthus (Osmanthus x fortunei), but Fortune’s osmanthus has broader and larger leaves with more numerous and evenly spaced spines.

This plant is used in hedges, screens, barriers, or as a specimen plant. False Holly is an underused shrub in the landscape and offers fall interest and is a holly alternative. Due to its size, it would be best to avoid using this shrub as a foundation planting; however, smaller cultivars are available.

Quick ID Hints:

Leaves are opposite, decussate, narrow, elliptic, and evergreen
Both entire leaves and leaves with 1 to 4 spiny teeth
Very fragrant, white, inconspicuous axillary fall flowers

Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: False Holly has no serious pest or disease problems, Observe for scale and aphids.

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:

Plant Walls and Hedges Functional Foundation Landscape

Cultivars / Varieties:

'Goshiki'
green, gold, and creamy foliage, 5 feet tall, 4 feet wide
'Ilicifolius'
Bushy form with prominent lobed spines new growth bronze.
'Myrtifolius'
adult form, all leaves elliptic, entire, and only a terminal spine
'Purpureus'
dark purple juvenile leaves, mature leaves green with a purple tint, hardest form
'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', 'Ilicifolius', 'Myrtifolius', 'Purpureus', 'Rotundifolius', 'Variegatus'

Tags:

#fragrant flowers #heat tolerant #drought tolerant #fall flowers #specimen #white flowers #slow growing #low maintenance #winter interest #security plant #air pollution tolerant #large shrub #deer resistant #nighttime garden #foundation planting #alkaline soils tolerant #screening #fantz #evergreen shrub #urban conditions tolerant #sweet fragrance #winter flowers #flowers late fall #landscape plant sleuths course #hedge #cpp #hs303

Osmanthus heterophyllus — Form Jim Robbins CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

'Goshiki' Form Jim Robbins CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

'Variegatus' Leaves - October - Warren Co., NC Cathy DeWitt CC BY-NC-ND 4.0