Osmanthus delavayi

Osmanthus delavayi
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Lamiales
Family:	Oleaceae
Genus:	Osmanthus
Species:	O. delavayi
Binomial name
Osmanthus delavayi

Osmanthus delavayi is an evergreen shrub of the genus Osmanthus. Over several weeks in late winter to spring it bears fragrant flowers that are more prominent but less fragrant than Osmanthus fragrans, but substitutes for O. fragrans in less balmy gardens. It was discovered by the Jesuit missionary-botanist Fr Pierre Jean Marie Delavay in the mountains near Lan-kong in Yunnan province, China, in 1890. He sent seed to the French nurseryman Vilmorin. Though Maurice de Vilmorin distributed the seed among various correspondents, only a single seed germinated. All the O. delavayi of European gardens were cloned from this one source, until George Forrest obtained further supplies of seed in China after World War I.^[1]

The shrub received an Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society in 1923 and has been praised by British garden writers. It is a garden staple in the east coast of Australia as far south as Tasmania.^[2] Its USDA Zone range is 7-9 (it can survive -15C), making it hardy in sheltered locations as far north as coastal New York and in the Pacific Northwest.

Notes

1. ^ Alice M. Coats, Garden Shrubs and Their Histories (1964) 1992, s.v. "Osmanthus".
2. ^ Don Burke, The Complete Burke's Backyard: the ultimate book of fact sheets, s.v. "Osmanthus delavayi".