302 Qleaceae 



Family 73. OLEACEAE. OLIVE FAMILY. 



Trees or shrubs with opposite or rarely alternate 

 simple or pinnate exstipulate entire or dentate leaves, 

 and regular perfect, polygamous or dioecious, 2-4-parted 

 flowers in terminal or axillary panicles, cymes or fasci- 

 cles. Calyx free from the ovary, usually small, some- 

 times none. Stamens 2-4, inserted on the corolla ; fila- 

 ments usually short, separate ; anthers mostly large, 

 2-celled, longitudinally dehiscent. Ovary superior, 

 2-celled ; ovules few in each cell ; style usually short or 

 none. Fruit a capsule, samara, berry or drupe. Seeds 

 erect or pendulous ; endosperm present or wanting ; 

 embryo straight. 



1. FRAXINUS L. ASH. 



Trees or tall shrubs with opposite and usually odd- 

 pinnate leaves, and small dioecious or polygamous, 

 rarely perfect, greenish fasciculate flowers, appearing 

 before or with the leaves. Calyx small, 4-cleft, irregu- 

 larly toothed, entire or none. Petals none or 2-4, separ- 

 ate, or united in pairs at the base, induplicate valvate. 

 Stamens 2, rarely 3-4, inserted on the base of the petals 

 or hypogynous ; filaments short-elongated ; anthers 

 ovate, oblong or linear. Ovules 2 in each cell, pendulous ; 

 stigma 2-cleft. Fruit a flat samara, winged at the apex 

 only or all around, usually 1-seeded. Seed oblong. 



1. F. Oregana Nutt. A small or middle-sized tree; leaves' 

 tomentose or glabrate in age; leaflets 5-9, oval to oblong-lanceo- 

 late, entire, sessile, 5-10 cm long; flowers all with minute calyx 

 and no petals ; fruit marginless at base, margined upwards into 

 oblanceolate or spatulate retuse wing, the whole 2.5-4 cm. long. 



San Gabriel and Lytle Creek Canyons. 



2. F. dipetala H. & A. Shrub 2.5-4 m. high ; leaves 5-15 cm. 

 long; leaflets 3-9, green above, yellowish green beneath when 



