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Environment
Environment Main Global Warming Natural Disasters Habitats FRESHWATER

Sweet Olive

Sweet Olive

The humble-looking shrub is prized for flowers that release an uncommonly delicate aroma and flavor comparable to apricots. Chinese have used this evergreen for thousands of years in tea, wine, and perfumes. Scientists confirm that the plant has more than a hundred chemical constituents. Elizabeth Arden, Liz Claiborne, and Calvin Klein, to name a few companies, reportedly use sweet olive extracts in their perfumes. A kilogram (2.2 pounds) currently trades for about U.S. $4,000 in Asian markets. (Osmanthus fragrans)

Photograph by George F. Mobley