Shrub to 3 m or more tall. Leaves ovate, to 10 cm or so long and 5 cm wide, entire or with up to 10 strong, sharp-pointed teeth. Flowers in clusters of up to 10 in the leaf axils, fragrant; late summer, Feb-Mar.

A garden hybrid, O. fragrans × O. heterophyllus, first produced in Japan.

Source: Spencer, R. (2002). Oleaceae. In: Spencer, R.. Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 4. Flowering plants. Dicotyledons. Part 3. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.