| Author | (L.) Nesom | |
| Distribution | Mainly coastal, found in all coastal counties except for Currituck, and ranging inland for perhaps 50 miles into the southern Coastal Plain (at least to southeastern Robeson County). A specimen record for Moore County, in the Sandhills, is a non-natural occurrence.
This Southern species ranges north barely to southeastern VA, and south to central FL and LA.
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| Abundance | Common within several miles of the coast, in maritime forests. Farther inland, to Robeson County, it is uncommon and local. | |
| Habitat | This is a key component of maritime forest understories. It also grows on sandy “hammock-like" (mostly evergreen) forests farther inland, mainly on old beach ridges or on fluvial sands close to rivers. |
| Phenology | Blooms in April and May, and fruits from August to October. | |
| Identification | This is an easily identified small tree, growing to about 25-30 feet tall. Few other evergreen trees have opposite leaves, these being elliptic to oblanceolate and about 4 inches long and only about 1-inch wide. They are shiny above, quite leathery, with entire margins that are often rolled under. The white to cream-colored flowers are in axillary clusters; however, the dark blue rounded drupes are rather conspicuous in late summer, fall, and occasionally into the winter. People who take walks in maritime forests are quite familiar with this species. | |
| Taxonomic Comments | This species has long been known as Osmanthus americana (or americanus), but recent references have moved the species to a different genus, as Cartrema americanum.
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| Other Common Name(s) | Devilwood, American Olive. Both of these are in rather widespread usage. | |
| State Rank | S3 [S3S4] | |
| Global Rank | G5 | |
| State Status | | |
| US Status | | |
| USACE-agcp | | |
| USACE-emp | | |
