This East Asian species is a popular cultivated ornamental in southeastern states, and sometimes confused with virginicus. C retusus is not yet known to naturalize, but should be monitored (Dirr 1997; Flora of China Vol. 15; R. Olsen, pers. comm.). C. retusus does not appear particularly close to virginicus, within the whole Olea-Osmanthus-Chionanthus complex (Li et al. 2020). In contrast to virginicus, retusus grows up to 20 m tall (versus 10 m). Panicles are on leading shoots (versus lateral branches), tend to be smaller (ca. 3-12 cm long versus 10-25 cm long), and usually appear in May about 2-3 weeks earlier than virginicus; its fruits are smaller (ca. 1-1.5 cm long versus 1.5-2 cm). Leaves of retusus typically tend be smaller (ca. 3-12 x 2-6.5 cm versus 7-20 x 2.5-10 cm), broader in shape, more lustrous and dark-green above, more coriaceous, more tardily deciduous, and more uniformly pubescent below. [Leaves are remarkably similar to those of Lonicera fragrantissima, another alien from eastern China.] However, there is much variation in leaves of both retusus and virginicus; a global revision is still needed. Twigs of both species have relatively large pale lenticels, and are sometimes pubescent when young.