Fortune's Tea Olive Osmanthus x fortunei
Other Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- oz-MAN-thus for-TOO-nee-eye
- Description
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Fortune’s osmanthus is an artificial hybrid that originated in Japan well before the middle of the 19th century. It is presumed to be a cross of the fragrant tea olive (Osmanthus fragrans) and false holly (O. heterophyllus). This hybrid was brought to Europe by German botanist and physician Philipp Franz von Siebold. The genus name comes from the Greek words for fragrant (osme) and flower (anthos). The species epithet honors famed 19th-century Scottish plant hunter Robert Fortune, who first introduced the palm to Europe.
This plant prefers full sun and moist, well-drained, acidic soil. It is tolerant of alkaline soils, pollution and part-shade. It has a slow growth rate and seldom produces fruits. The plant is deer- and rabbit-resistant.
Fortune’s osmanthus is a large dense, oval-rounded broadleaf evergreen shrub or small tree. The leaves are shiny and dark green with a spine tip. In the upper part of the plant (adult morphology) the margins are entire, while those in the lower part of the plant tend to be toothed (juvenile morphology). This plant blooms in the late summer and fall and has inconspicuous flowers that have a pungently sweet aroma.
The cultivar 'San Jose' was developed in California in 1934 by W.B. Clarke Nursery in San Jose, California, and was introduced in 1941.
This plant is frequently utilized in hedges, foundations, screens, as a specimen plant, or pruned into a small tree. When pruning, keep in mind that next season's blossoms will appear on new growth.
Quick ID Hints:
- Large evergreen shrub or small tree
- Stems have lenticels
- Opposite, decussate leaves, both toothed and entire
- Juvenile leaf is regularly spine-tipped, triangular teeth
- Inconspicuous white, fall blooms, highly aromatic
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: This plant has no serious pest or disease problems. Scales and nematodes may be seen, and mushroom root rot may occur if the soil is too wet.
VIDEO created by Ryan Contreras for “Landscape Plant Materials I: Deciduous Hardwoods and Conifers or Landscape Plant Materials II: Spring Flowering Trees and Shrubs” a plant identification course offered by the Department of Horticulture at Oregon State University
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- 'Aurea'
golden yellow-green leaves - 'Fruitlandii'
small, delicate flower - 'San Jose'
narrower leaf, finer spines on the leaf margins
- 'Aurea'
- 'Aurea', 'Fruitlandii', 'San Jose'
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- 'Aurea'
golden yellow-green leaves - 'Fruitlandii'
small, delicate flower - 'San Jose'
narrower leaf, finer spines on the leaf margins
- 'Aurea'
- 'Aurea', 'Fruitlandii', 'San Jose'
- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Osmanthus
- Family:
- Oleaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Woody
- Play Value:
- Buffer
- Fragrance
- Screening
- Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems):
- Deer resistant, drought tolerant, and slightly salt tolerant.
- Dimensions:
- Height: 15 ft. 0 in. - 20 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 6 ft. 0 in. - 10 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Perennial
- Shrub
- Tree
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Broadleaf Evergreen
- Habit/Form:
- Columnar
- Dense
- Erect
- Mounding
- Oval
- Growth Rate:
- Slow
- Maintenance:
- Low
- Texture:
- Medium
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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 Texture:
- Clay
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Alkaline (>8.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Available Space To Plant:
- 12-24 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Black
- Blue
- Purple/Lavender
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Winter
- Fruit Type:
- Drupe
- Fruit Length:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- This hybrid seldom produces fruits. If fruits are produced, they are ovoid bluish purple-black to black drupes that are less than 1/2" in size.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- White
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Fragrant
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Fall
- Summer
- Flower Shape:
- Tubular
- Flower Petals:
- 4-5 petals/rays
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- Flowers are small, white, four-lobed, less than a 1-inch in diameter, and have 2 yellow stamens. They appear in clusters of 10 in the leaf axils and are often hidden in the foliage. The flowers are fragrant but not showy, and they bloom in the late summer and fall.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Broadleaf Evergreen
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Leathery
- Leaf Value To Gardener:
- Long-lasting
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Opposite
- Leaf Shape:
- Elliptical
- Ovate
- Leaf Margin:
- Dentate
- Entire
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- 3-6 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Leaves are opposite, decussate, simple, leathery, lustrous, coriaceous, oval to broadly elliptic, acuminate apex, and have 9 to 12 marginal, triangular teeth on each side with a small spine or entire (on mature adult leaves). Leaves are dark green above and paler beneath. They are glabrous, 2-4 inches long, and 1.5 to 2 inches wide.
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Dark Gray
- Light Gray
- Bark Description:
- Some branches are gray.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Gray/Silver
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Description:
- The stems are squarish, and gray, and have numerous brown lenticels.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Container
- Recreational Play Area
- Landscape Theme:
- Asian Garden
- Drought Tolerant Garden
- English Garden
- Winter Garden
- Design Feature:
- Flowering Tree
- Foundation Planting
- Hedge
- Screen/Privacy
- Small Tree
- Specimen
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Deer
- Drought
- Rabbits
- Salt
