Holly Olive (Osmanthus Heterophyllus)

The holly olive (scientific name: osmanthus heterophyllus) is a species of flowering plant in the family oleaceae, genus olive, native to eastern Asia in central and southern Japan, and Taiwan.

Also called holly osmanthus or false holly, it is an evergreen shrub or small tree 2-8 m tall and is widely used as a hedge.

The leaves have a glossy dark green surface and a pale greenish yellow underside. They grow facing each other and have a thick, leathery texture with intact edges or one to four large teeth.

The small, young plants are occupied by thorny leaves to prevent animals from eating them, while the tall, mature plants are occupied by whole leaves.

Ref.:

• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osmanthus_heterophyllus