Holly Osmanthus – Osmanthus heterophyllus

Evergreen shrub or small tree. Bark: brown to gray or blackish. Leaves: opposite; thick, leathery texture; lustrous dark green above, paler yellow-green below; margin is entire or with 1-4 large teeth on each side. Flowers: very fragrant; white, with a 4-lobed corolla; dioecious; appear in autumn. Fruit: dark purple drupe; mature in following summer about 9 months after flowering.

Widely used as a hedge plant. Native to eastern Asia and Taiwan.