Scientific Name : Osmanthus fragrans (Thunb.) Lour.
Common Name : Kwai-fah, Fragrant Olive, Sweet Tea, Sweet Olive
Chinese Name : 桂花、木犀
Family : OLEACEAE
Local distribution status : Exotic species
| Origins | Native to southwest China, it is also distributed in some provinces of China, including Guizhou, Sichuan and Yunnan. |
|---|---|
| Meanings of name | The genus name is a blend of Greek words ‘ὀσμή’ (osmḗ) and ‘ἄνθος’ (anthos) which refer to ‘fragrance’ and ‘flower’ respectively, meaning ‘flowers with fragrance’. The specific epithet fragrans means ‘fragrant’. |
| Vitality | Kwai-fah grows well in moist, well-drained and acidic soils. It prefers environments ranging from full sun to partial shade. |
| Ecology | Broadly cultivated worldwide as a horticultural plant. |
| Application | Kwai-fah is both an herb and a spice and is edible. In China, Kwai-fah could be steeped with black tea or green tea to make Osmanthus tea. Additionally, Kwai-fah could be processed into traditional Chinese medicine to prevent coughs and can be added to other medicines for improved flavor. |
| Growing habit | Evergreen tree or shrub. |
|---|---|
| Height | To 18 m tall. |
| Stem | Bark greyish brown, branchlets yellowish brown, glabrous. |
| Leaves | Leaf opposite, leaf blade elliptic to elliptic‑lanceolate, apex acuminate, base cuneate, margin entire or serrulate on upper half, midvein and lateral veins impressed adaxially, raised abaxially. |
| Flower | Cymes fasciculate in leaf axils, bracts broadly ovate. Corolla yellowish white, pale yellow or orange, stamens attached to middle of corolla‑tube; connective elongate into an obscure mucro in anther. |
| Fruit | Drupe elliptic, slightly oblique, purple‑black when matured. |
| Flowering period | October to May in Hong Kong. |
| Fruiting period | March in Hong Kong. |
Scientific name above is based on Hong Kong Herbarium website:
https://herbarium.gov.hk/en/hk-plant-database/plant-detail/index.html?pType=species&oID=6430
Scientific Names from Other Databases
―Flora of China: Osmanthus fragrans
―GBIF: Osmanthus fragrans Lour.