Fontanesia phillyreoides

The fontanesia plant is in the olive or Oleaceae family and is native to southern Europe (Sicily), southwestern Asia (Lebanon, Syria, Turkey) and eastern Asia (China), with two well-separated populations which some authorities have now split it into two subspecies, Fontanesia phillyraeoides subsp. phillyraeoides (native to southern Europe, the Middle East and southwestern Asia featuring dull green leaves, up to 8 cm long), and Fontanesia phillyraeoides subsp. fortunesia (native to China featuring glossy green leaves, up to 13 cm long).

• It is a multi-stemmed small tree or shrub growing up to 8 m in height.
• Leaves are deciduous, opposite, lanceolate to narrow ovate, 3–12 cm long and 8–26 mm broad, with an acute apex and a usually entire margin, dark green, sometimes finely serrated.
• Flowers are greenish-white, , with a deeply four-lobed corolla, each to 4 mm long, flowers very numerous in terminal panicles up to 5 cm long, blooming in late spring.
• The fruit is a flat, brown-winged samara, up to 1 cm long, surrounded by a membranous wing.