This totally unassuming bush puts out a tiny little unassuming flower. You'll only notice the flower if you notice the incredible, sweet smell first and go looking for where it's coming from. The fragrance reminds me of, for lack of a better descriptor, old lady perfume. It is very sweet with just a hint of a musty top. Osmanthus is sometimes called "Sweet Olive" or "Tea Olive" by locals. There is a hybrid of the species called Osmanthus x futurae, which is just as amazing smelling and has leaves that look a lot like a holly. I have heard it called a "false holly", but don't know if that name is official. I have one of each growing at the moment in pots.

	The species from our garden. It has been trickling out new blooms pretty much since we got it. Image from our garden.
	Our hybrid. It was in very rough shape when we got it, but as you can see, the new growth is busting out all over. No blooms yet, but I'm hopeful. Image from our garden.
	The drawing from the last page. Image from the Time Life Plant Encyclopedia at the Virtual Garden.
	A drawing of a twig with blooms. Image from the Time Life Plant Encyclopedia at the Virtual Garden.
	A drawing of both the bloom and the shrub. Image from the Time Life Plant Encyclopedia at the Virtual Garden.
	A photograph of the shrub. Looks like the futurae variety to me. Image from the Gardener's Library at homearts.com.