American olive grows in the maritime hammocks and inland sandy forests of the southeastern United States, a native member of the olive family that most gardeners have never encountered but many would love. The genus name Cartrema derives from Greek words meaning 'perforate nut,' a reference to the hollowed depression in the hard endocarp — a small botanical detail that points to how closely this plant has been observed over centuries. Reaching anywhere from 5 to 30 feet depending on conditions, it forms a shrub or small tree with gray-brown, finely scaly bark and smooth, elliptical opposite leaves that hold through winter with deep evergreen composure.

In spring, clusters of small white flowers with tubular corollas and reflexed petals appear on the previous year's growth, releasing a fragrance that carries well. Those flowers become dark blue drupes through the fall, consumed by birds and small mammals that disperse the seeds through the woodland understory. This plant is dioecious, so a male pollinizer is needed for fruit production — worth planning for at planting time. It takes pruning well, tolerates wind, and prefers moist, well-drained soil in partial shade, though it manages sunnier positions if soil moisture is maintained. Few native plants offer such a combination of fragrance, evergreen structure, and wildlife value with such little fanfare.