What is "xylosma"

n. Any of various evergreen shrubs and small trees in the genus ''Xylosma''

n. shrub or small tree grown as an ornamental in mild climates for its neat evergreen foliage and fragrant late flowers; native of China [syn: Xylosma congestum]

Xylosma is a genus of flowering plants in the willow family, Salicaceae. It contains around 100 species of spiny evergreen shrubs and trees commonly known as brushhollies, xylosmas, or, more ambiguously, " logwoods". The generic name is derived from the Greek words ξύλον (xylon), meaning "wood," and ὀσμή (osmé), meaning "smell," referring to the fragrant wood of some of the species. The Takhtajan system places it in the family Flacourtiaceae, which is considered defunct by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group.