THE OLIVE FAMILY 



OLEACEiE Lindley 



HIS family embraces about 21 genera containing some 500 species of 

 trees or shrubs, with a few nearly herbaceous plants. They are of 

 wide distribution in both temperate and tropic regions, but most 

 abundant in the northern hemisphere and are of considerable economic 

 value, the most important being the Olive, Olea europaea Linnaeus, whose fruit, 

 and the fixed oil expressed from it, are almost universal foods. The various 

 Ashes are of great value on account of their superior timber. Many ornamental 

 plants of this family have a well-deserved reputation in our gardens; commonest 

 among these are the Lilacs, various species of Syringa from Europe and Asia, 

 the Goldenbclls, species of Forsythia from Japan, the Privets, various species of 

 Ligustrum from Europe and Asia, and our own southern Fringe tree. 



The Oleaceae have opposite, rarely alternate, simple or compound leaves with- 

 out stipules. The flowers are clustered in cymes or fascicles; they are perfect, 

 dioecious or polygamous, mostly regular; the calyx is inferior, usually small and 

 4-parted, sometimes wanting; the corolla consists of 2 to 6 elongated, imbricated 

 or valvate, partly united petals, or sometimes none ; stamens 2 to 4, adnate to the 

 base of the corolla, their filaments separate, distinct, usually short; the ovary is 

 free, 2-celled, each cell usually containing 2 ovules; styles short or none; stigma 

 capitate or 2-lobed. The fruit is a 2-valved capsule, a samara, berry or drupe, the 

 seed usually solitary; endosperm fleshy, bony or none; embr^^o straight, rather 

 large. Our arborescent genera are: 



Fruit a dry samara; leaves compound. 

 Fruit a fleshy berry. 



Flowers very small, mainly polygamo-dioecious, usually w^ithout corolla, or 



this if present very small; style slender. 

 Flowers perfect, or polygamous; corolla present; style short or stout. 

 Leaves deciduous; flowers large; petals long, nearly distinct. 

 Leaves evergreen; flowers small; petals short. 



Fraxinus. 



2. Forestiera. 



3- 

 4- 



Chionanthus. 

 Osmanthus. 



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