Osmanthus range in size from shrubs to small trees, 2–12m (7–39 ft) tall. The leaves are opposite, evergreen, and simple with an entire, serrated or coarsely toothed margin. The flowers are produced in spring, summer or autumn, each flower being about 1cm long, white with a four-lobed tubular-based corolla ('petals'). The flowers grow in small panicles, and in several species have a strong fragrance. The fruit is a small (10–15mm), hard-skinned dark blue to purple drupe containing a single seed.