Olea americanaj 

 THE AMERICAN OLIVE-TREE. 



Synonymes. 



Olea americana, 



Olivier d'Amerique, 

 Amerikanischer Oehlbaum, 

 Olivo americano, 

 American Olive-tree, 

 American Olive-tree, Devil-wood, 



LiNNJEus, Mantissa. 



3I1CHAUX, North American Sylva. 



Loudon, Arboretum Britannicum. 



France. 



Germany. 



Italy. 



Britain. 



United States. 



Engravings. Michaux, North American Sylva, pi. 86; Loudon, Arboretum Britannicum, ii., fig. 1034; and the figurei 

 Below. 



Specific Characters. Leaves elliptic-lanceolate. Bractes all persistent, connate, ovate. Racemes sub- 

 compound, narrow. Loudon, Enc. of Plants. 



Description. 



HE Olea americana is a 



% large evergreen shrub or 



low tree, sometimes grow- 



''^'C ing to a height of thirty 



or thirty-tive feet, with a trunk ten or twelve 

 inches in diameter; but usually it does not attain 

 one half of these dimensions. The bark which cov- 

 ers the trunk is smooth, and of a grayish colour. 

 The leaves are four or five inches long, opposite, 

 entire, smooth, and brilliant on the upper surfaces, 

 and of an agreeable light-green. The fertile and 

 barren flowers grow on separate trees. They are 

 very small, strongly scented, of a pale-yellow col- 

 our, and axillary. They put forth at St. Mary's, 

 in Georgia, by the last of March, and a month later 

 in Virginia. The fruit, which is round, is about the 

 size of a small grape, of a purple colour, approach- 

 ing to blue, and contains a hard stone, thinly coated 

 with pulp. It ripens in October, and remains attached to the branches during a 

 part of the winter, forming an agreeable contrast with the light-green leaves. 



Geography., iS)'c. The Olea americana, which belongs exclusively to the south- 

 ern states of the American union, is not often found north of Norfolk, in Virginia ; 

 and, like the live oak and cabbage-tree, is confined almost exclusively to the 

 sea-shore. It grows in soils and exposures extremely variable. In the maritime 

 parts of Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, it springs up with the live oak in the 

 most barren spots; and in other places it is associated with the Magnolia grandi- 

 flora, umbrella-tree, &c., in cool, fertile, and shady situations. This tree was 

 introduced into Britain in 1758, and is considerably more hardy than the Euro- 

 pean olive. It is said there is a very handsome flourishing plant against the wall 

 of the arboretum of Messrs. Loddiges, at Hackney, which receives no protection 

 whatever. It may be propagated by layers, by seeds, or by cuttings. 



