Ginmokusei
Flowers with a Distinctive Scent
This evergreen shrub is native to Asia, and is known variously as a tea olive, sweet olive, or fragrant olive (Osmanthus fragrans). This specimen is thought to have been growing here, in the garden of the priest of the local Shinto shrine, for hundreds of years. It has a mossy trunk and convoluted branches, and blooms in late September and early October with beautiful white flowers and a delicate fragrance.