sweet osmanthus

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• sweet osmanthus

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Regional and Traditional Names

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the phylum Streptophyta, placing it within the class Equisetopsida and subclass Magnoliidae. It is further classified under the order Lamiales and the family Oleaceae. Ultimately, its specific taxonomic identity is defined by its membership in the genus Osmanthus.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant is widely distributed throughout various regions of China, including the South-Central and North-Central areas. It can also be found growing in the tropical environment of Hainan. Furthermore, the species is commonly located across China Southeast. Beyond mainland China, its presence extends to Eastern Asia, specifically in Japan.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Life history

The life history of Osmanthus fragrans is characterized by its status as a perennial plant, ensuring its long-term presence in its natural habitat through multiple growing seasons. As a phanerophyte, it maintains its photosynthetic organs on elevated woody stems, which can grow into substantial shrubs or small trees. This growth habit is further defined by its evergreen deciduousness, meaning the plant retains its foliage throughout the year, providing continuous vegetative cover and a stable physiological structure. While it primarily functions as a phanerophyte, its architectural complexity within its ecological niche is occasionally categorized under the nanophanerophyte life form when considering its smaller, shrubby developmental stages.

Deciduousness :

evergreen

Life form :

nanophanerophyte

Life form :

phanerophyte

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

The morphology of Osmanthus fragrans is characterized by a woody growth form, typically manifesting as a shrub or a small tree. As a terrestrial plant, it grows independently and is not classified as a climber, being entirely self-supporting in its structural development. The plant exhibits significant variation in stature, with heights ranging from a minimum of 3 m to a maximum of 18 m, though it maintains a mean plant height of approximately 8.25 m.

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

shrub

Parasite :

independent

Plant height max:

18 m

Plant height mean:

8.25 m

Plant height min:

3 m

Woodiness :

woody

Physiology

The physiology of Osmanthus fragrans is characterized by a C3 photosynthetic pathway, which dictates its carbon fixation processes and metabolic efficiency. The structural morphology of its foliage shows significant variability, with leaf lengths typically averaging 10.75 cm (ranging from a minimum of 7 cm to a maximum of 14.5 cm) and leaf widths maintaining a mean of 3.55 cm (ranging from a minimum of 2.6 cm to a maximum of 4.5 cm). In terms of biomass density and structural integrity, the plant exhibits a mean stem specific density (SSD) of 966 mg/cm³. Furthermore, the species does not function as a nitrogen fixer, relying instead on external soil nutrient uptake to support its physiological development and growth.

Leaf length max:

14.5 cm

Leaf length mean:

10.75 cm

Leaf length min:

7 cm

Leaf width max:

4.5 cm

Leaf width mean:

3.55 cm

Leaf width min:

2.6 cm

Nitrogen fixer :

no

Photosynthetic pathway :

C3

Stem specific density (SSD) mean:

966 mg/cm³

Reproduction

The reproduction of Osmanthus fragrans is characterized by the development of fleshy fruits containing seeds with highly consistent physical properties. The fruits exhibit a measurable variation in size, with widths ranging from a minimum of 1 cm to a maximum of 1.5 cm, resulting in an average fruit width of 1.25 cm. Within these fruits, the seeds maintain a remarkably uniform mass; both the minimum and maximum recorded seed mass, as well as the mean seed mass, are documented at exactly 0.17495 g. This uniformity in seed mass suggests a stable reproductive output per fruit, which is essential for the plant's dispersal and establishment processes.

Fruit width max:

1.5 cm

Fruit width mean:

1.25 cm

Fruit width min:

1 cm

Seed mass mean:

0.17495 g

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Plant Parts

Osmanthus fragrans has 2 reported plant parts identified across 2 scientific publications and several other databases that are studied for medicinal purposes. The most consistently reported plant part include flower, seed.

Flower

1. International archives of allergy and immunology

Seed

1. Fitoterapia

Chemicals

Osmanthus fragrans has 27 reported phytochemicals identified across 2 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include 5,7-Dihydroxychromone, 5-Hydroxymethyl-2-furancarboxaldehyde, Acetyloleanolic acid, Arjunolic acid, Boschniakinic acid.

5,7-Dihydroxychromone

1. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica

5-Hydroxymethyl-2-furancarboxaldehyde

1. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica

Acetyloleanolic acid

1. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica

Arjunolic acid

1. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica

Boschniakinic acid

1. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica

CHLOROGENIC ACID

1. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica

Ethyl p-hydroxyphenylacetate

1. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica

Flavonoids

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

IAA

1. Scientific reports

IONONE

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Activities

Osmanthus fragrans has 9 reported activities identified across 2 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antioxidant, Anticancer, Hepatoprotective, Antibacterial, Antiproliferative.

Antioxidant

1. Frontiers in pharmacology
2. BioMed research international
3. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
4. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Anticancer

1. Frontiers in pharmacology
2. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)

Hepatoprotective

1. BioMed research international
2. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Antibacterial

1. Frontiers in pharmacology

Antiproliferative

1. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)

Antitumor

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Cytotoxic

1. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)

Mast-Cell-Stabilizer

1. International archives of allergy and immunology

Neuroprotective

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Medicinal Uses

Osmanthus fragrans has 11 reported medicinal uses identified across 2 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported uses include asthma, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, cough, diarrhea.

Most Reported Uses

Preparations