[1][4] Osmanthus has been known in China since ancient times with the earliest writings coming from the Warring States period; the book Sea and Mountain.

The leaves are opposite, evergreen, and simple, with an entire, serrated or coarsely toothed margin.

The fruit is a small (10–15 mm), hard-skinned dark blue to purple drupe containing a single seed.

aurantiacus Makino (fragrant orange-colored olive) (kin-mokusei) is a favorite garden shrub.

The flowers of O. fragrans are used throughout East Asia for their scent and flavour, which is likened to apricot and peach.