724 



OLEACEAE. 



Vol. II. 



polygamous or dioecious, 2-4-parted 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, ovate, 

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

 2-celled ; ovules few 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. Fraxinus. 



Fruit a drupe or berry ; leaves simple. 



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



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



Flowers complete, gamopetalous, paniculate. 5. Ligustrum, 



I. SYRINGA L. Sp. PI. 9. 1753. 



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

 ers, in dense terminal panicles or thyrses. Calyx campantilate, mostly 4-toothed, persistent. 

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

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

 ovate or oblong. Ovary 2-celled; ovules 2 in each cavity, 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. 



Syrivga vulgaris L. Sp. PI. 9. 1753. 



A glabrous shrub, io°-2S° high with terete branches. 

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

 acuminate at the apex, truncate or subcordate at the 

 base, 2'-5' long, i'-3' wide; petioles J'-l' long; flowers 

 lilac or white, very numerous, 5"-7" long, 4"n5" 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 

 Hampsitire 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 the 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 so species, mostly of the north temperate zone. Besides the following, about 12 others 

 occur m the Southern and Western States. Type species: Fraxinus 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 down on the sides of the body. 

 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. Michau 



1. F, anierieana. 



2. F. biltmoreana, 



3. F. Darlingtonii, 



