About Cartrema americana (L.) G.L.Nesom
Cartrema americana, commonly known by the common names American olive, wild olive, or devilwood, is an evergreen shrub or small tree. It is native to southeastern North America: in the United States, it grows from Virginia to Texas; in Mexico, it grows from Nuevo León south to Oaxaca and Veracruz. This species was formerly classified as Osmanthus americanus. After researchers found that the original genus Osmanthus was polyphyletic, it was moved to the newly segregated genus Cartrema, along with Osmanthus floridanus and five Asian species. Cartrema americana typically reaches 4 to 7 meters (13 to 23 feet) in height, and rarely grows as tall as 11 meters (36 feet). Its leaves measure 5 to 14 centimeters (2.0 to 5.5 inches) long and 2 to 4 centimeters (0.79 to 1.57 inches) wide, and have smooth, entire margins. The plant produces small, white, strongly fragrant flowers in early spring; each flower is 1 centimeter long and has a four-lobed corolla. Its fruit is a globose, dark blue drupe 6 to 15 millimeters (0.24 to 0.59 inches) in diameter, which contains a single seed. It is cultivated as an ornamental garden plant, valued for its fragrant flowers.
