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Sweet Osmanthus ( Kinmokusei )
(Osmanthus fragrans), sweet osmanthus, kinmokusei, sweet olive, tea olive and fragrant olive, is a species of osmanthus native to Asia, from the Himalayas east through southern China, Taiwan to southern Japan.
It is an evergreen shrub or small tree growing 3–12 m tall. The leaves are 7–15 cm long and 2.6–5 cm broad, with an entire or finely toothed margin. The small flowers are white, pale yellow, yellow, or orange-yellow, small (1 cm long), with a strong fragrance and they are produced in small clusters in the late summer and autumn. The fruit is a purple-black drupe 10–15 mm long containing a single hard-shelled seed; it is mature in the spring about six months after flowering.
Sweet osmanthus is cultivated as an ornamental plant in gardens for its deliciously fragrant flowers which carry the scent of ripe peaches or apricots. A number of cultivars, with different flower colours are available for gardens. In China the flowers are added to tea to create ‘gui hua cha’ scented tea. They are also used to make osmanthus scented jam, sweet cakes, dumplings, soups and alcoholic drinks. In North India the flowers are used to protect clothes from insect damage.
Key idea: "expression". Main colour: indigo
Considerate and elegant communication. Creative, meditative states. Experiencing peace and being able to communicate this effectively. Flowing along one's true path. Release of trauma and past-life stresses.