Sweet osmanthus is one of the ornamental plants most favoured by the Chinese people and has been specified as one of the ten famous flowers inC hina. Out of the 32 species now found in the world, China has 26, mainly distributed in southern and oouthwcstern China. The author of this paper has made an preliminary study on the cultivation history of sweet osmanthus as well as its species and varieties. The paper gives a general description of the shapes and characteristics of sweet osmanthus of thirteen varieties cultivated in Nanjing, providing a basis for further study of their selection and cultivation. The author also offers some suggestions about how to develop variety resources of sweet osmanthus and how to investigate its cultivars and types.