724 



OLEACEAE. 



Vol. II. 



polygamous or dioecious, 2-4-partcd flowers in terminal or axillary panicles, cymes 

 or fascicles. Calyx inferior, free from the ovary, usually small, sometimes none. 

 Corolla gamopetalous, polypetalous, or none. Stamens 2-4, usually 2, inserted 

 on the corolla; filaments usually short, separate; anthers mostly large, ovale, 

 oblong or linear, 2-celled, the sacs longitudinally dehiscent. Ovary superior, 

 2-celled; ovules f^w in each cavity, anatropous or amphitropous ; style usually 

 short or none, rarely elongated. Fruit a capsule, samara, berry or drupe. Seeds 

 erect or pendulous ; endosperm fleshy, horny or wanting ; embryo straight, rather 

 large; cotyledons flat, or plano-convex; radicle usually short. 



About 21 genera and 525 species, of wide distribution in temperate and tropical regions. 



Fruit a loculicidal capsule: leaves simple; flowers complete. i. Syringa. 



Fruit a samara ; leaves pinnate ; flowers dioecious or polygamous. 2. Fra.rinus, 



Fruit a drupe or berry ; leaves simple. 



Flowers dioecious, apetalous, from catkin-like scaly buds. 3. Forcslicra. 



Flowers complete, polypetalous, paniculate; petals linear. 4. Chionanlhus, 



Flowers complete, gamopetalous, paniculate. 5. Ligustnim. 



I. SYRINGA L. Sp. PL 9. 1753. 



Shrubs with opposite entire (rarely pinnatifid) leaves, and completely gamopetalous flow- 

 ers, in dense terminal panicles or thyrses. Calyx campanulate, mostly 4-loothed, persistent. 

 Corolla salverform, the tube cylindric, the limb 4-lobed, the lobes induplicale-valvate. Sta- 

 inens 2, inserted near the summit of the corolla-tube; filaments short or slender; anthers 

 ovate or oblong. Ovary 2-celled; ovules 2 in each cavitj', pendulous; style elongated; stigma 



2-cleft. Capsule narrowly oblong, somewhat com- 

 pressed, coriaceous, loculicidally 2-valved from above, 

 the valves concave. Seeds pendulous, compressed, 

 obliquely winged. [Greek, a pipe, or tube.] 



About 12 species, natives of Asia and eastern Europe, 

 the following typical. 



I. Syringa vulgaris L. Lilac. Fig. 3313. 



Syringa vulgaris L. Sp. PI. 9. 1753. 



A glabrous shrub, lo-25 high with terete branches. 

 Leaves ovate, entire, deciduous, green on both sides, 

 acuminate at the apex, truncate or subcordate at the 

 base, 2'-$' long, i'-3' wide; petioles i'-l' long; flowers 

 lilac or white, very numerous, s"-/" long, 4"-$" broad, 

 in large terminal thyrses; calyx about i" long; corolla- 

 tube about i" in diameter; ultimate pedicels short; 

 capsule 8"-i2" long, 2" thick. 



Escaped from gardens to roadsides. Maine and New 

 Hampshire to eastern New York and Pennsylvania. Native 

 of eastern Europe. Pipe-tree, Pipe-privets. Blue-pipe. Blue- 

 ash. Roman-willow. Flowers fragrant. April-May. 



2. FRAXINUS [Tourn.] L. Sp. PI. 1057. 1753. 



Trees, with opposite and in all our species odd-pinnate leaves, and small dioecious or 

 polygamous (rarely perfect) greenish fasciculate or racemose-fasciculate flowers, appearing 

 before or with the leaves from the axils of those of the previous season. Calyx small, 4-cleft, 

 irregularly toothed, entire or none. Petals none or 2-4, separate, or united in pairs at the 

 base, induplicate-valvate. Stamens 2 (rarely 3 or 4), inserted on the base of the petals or 

 hypogynous ; filaments short or elongated ; anthers ovate, oblong or linear. Ovules 2 in 

 each cavity of tjie ovary, pendulous; stigma 2-cleft. Fruit a flat samara, winged at the apex 

 only or all around, usually l-seeded. Seed oblong, pendulous. [The ancient Latin name.] 



About 50 species, mostly of the north temperate zone. Besides the following, about 12 others 

 occur in the Southern and Western States. Type species: Fraxiiuis excelsior L. 

 Lateral leaflets stalked ; calyx mostly present, at least in the fertile flowers. 

 Body of the samara terete or nearly so, the wing chiefly terminal. 

 Wing almost entirely terminal : leaves pale beneath. 



Twigs and leaves glabrous, or leaves pubescent beneath. 

 Twigs and leaves densely pubescent. 

 Wing manifestly extending dow'n on the sides of the bod>'. 

 Wing of the samara long-linear, about 2" wide. 



Wing of the samara spatulate or oblong-spatulate, mostly 3"-5" wide. 

 Samara-body terete, slender. 



Samaras broadly spatulate ; leaves firm, entire. 



F, amcrieana. 

 F. bilttnoreaua. 



3. F, Darlingtouii 



F. Miehauxii, 



