Cartrema Species, American Devilwood, Wild Olive

Planted mine in part shade in a dryish soil spot (thanks to some nearby mature black cherry trees) as a 1 gal about 5 years ago. It grows...Read More very slowly, maybe only about one foot a year in height and width. It hasn't flowered yet.

It has a loose, open habit. Fully evergreen here even exposed to winter wind and sun. The deer have never touched it.

It's not a showstopper but a nice-enough broad leaf evergreen when you get tired of the usual options.

I just bought a second one from Mail Order Natives.

Maybe I'll be lucky and have one of each sex so the birds will have fruit to eat someday.

This plant should used more often in landscapes, There isn't much to complain about. The flowers smell great. The leaves are dark, some...Read Morewhat shiny and evergreen. Very low maintenance. Easy to transplant from my experience. Good for those looking for a U.S. native alternative for the related fragrant tea olive from Asia. The average size makes it easy to prune into a small tree and the slow growth rate keeps it from getting out of control. The cold hardiness is incredible for something that naturally comes from the warmer parts of the Southeastern States. Looks similar to some holly cultivars and redbay trees.

What a cool tree! Glossy camellia-esque leaves, a multi-trunked (or single-trunked, if you're boring) habit, evergreen foliage, undemand...Read Moreing water requirements... the list goes on. It's baffling to me that every single house in the Southeast doesn't have one of these trees. Gee, I wonder why that could be? Oh yeah, because the boring, rough-leaved junk tree called Sweet Olive, from Asia, is the only Osmanthus that is sold at every plant nursery, big box store, etc... Sigh.
My only concern is that the wood is legendarily strong, and the roots are described as being shallow, and the combination of stiff limbs + shallow roots usually means a tree that tips over easily in high winds. Which could be a problem here in hurricane country.
I just planted mine today (7/7/14) after having it in a pot for 2 years. I actually ripped out an underperforming juvenile Shumard oak to do so.

Osmanthus americanus is dioecious, i.e. plants are either male or female.