OLIVE FAMILY. 281 



O. Americ&ns, Dbtii/-wood. Wild along the coast from Virginia S. : 

 Bmall tree, with laEce-oblong and entire very smooth green leaves (3'- 6' long), 

 and spherical fruit. 



O. fr^grans, or OsmAnthus feagbans, of Japan and China (differing 

 from Olive genus in the almost 4-parted corolla and 2-parted style), cult, in 

 green-houses for the exquisite fragrance of its very small flowers ; the leaves 

 oblong or oval, sharply serrate, bright green, very smooth. 



6. CHIONANTHirS, Fringe-Tree. (Name of the Greek words for 

 snow and blossom, from the very light and loose panicles of drooping snow- 

 white flowers.) 



C. Virginica, Common F. River-banks from Penn. S., and planted for 

 ornament : shrub or low tree, with entire oval or obovate leaves (3' - 5' long), 

 the lower surface often rather downy, loose panicles of flowers in late spring or 

 early summer, petals 1' long, and fruit blue-purple with a bloom. 



7. rKAXINUS, ASH. (Classical Latin name.) Timber-trees, with light 

 and tough wood, dark-colored buds, and small insignificant flowers appearing 

 in spring with- or rather before the leaves of the season, from separate buds in 

 the axils of the leaves of the preceding year. 



§ 1 . EuEOPBAN Ashes, planted as shade trees, ^c. : flowers polygamous. 



P. Oruus, Flowering Ash, of S. Europe, the tree which famishes manna, 

 not hardy N., sometimes planted S. : this and a species like it in California have 

 4 petals, either distinct or slightly united, or sometimes only 2, narrow, green- 

 ish; leaflets 5-9, lanceolate or oblong, small. 



P. excdlsior, English or European Ash. Hardy fine tree, with bright 

 green lance-oblong leaflets nearly sessile and serrate ; petals none and calyx 

 hardly any ; fruit flat, linear-oblong. The Weeping Ash is a variety or sport 

 of this. 



§ 2. American Ashes, all destitute of petals, and dicectous or mostly so. 

 » Fruit terete at the base, winged from the other end: calyx minute, persistent i 

 leaflets 7 -9, or sometimes 5, stalked, either sparingly toothed or entire. 



P. Americana, White Ash. Large forest tree of low grounds, furnish- 

 ing valuable timber ; with ash-gray branches, smooth stalks, ovate or lance- 

 oblong pointed leaflets either pale or downy beneath ; and rather short fruit 

 with a terete marginless body and a lanceolate or wedge-linear wing. 



P. pub^scens, Red Ash. Common E. & S. ; known by its velvety- 

 pubescent young shoots and leafstalks, and fruit with its flattish 2-edged seM- 

 bearing body acute at the base, the edges gradually dilated into the lance-linear 

 or oblanceolate wing. 



P. viridis, Green Ash. Like the last, into which it seems to pass, but 

 is smooth, with leaves bright green on both sides : a smaller tree, most common 

 W. & S. 



• • Fruit flat and winged all round : leaflets mostly green both sides and serrate. 



P. sambucif61ia. Black Ash. Small tree in .swamps, N. & N. W., 

 with tough wood separable in layers, used for hoops and coarse baskets ; the 

 bruised leaves with the scent of Elder : smooth ; leaflets 7-11, sessile on the 

 main stalk, oblong-lanceolate tapering to a point ; calyx none, at least in the 

 fertile flowers ; fruits linear-oblong. 



P. quadrangulS,ta, Blue A»h. Large forest tree W., yielding valuable 

 wood; with square branchlets, 5-9 ovate veiny leaflets on short stalks, and 

 narrowly oblong fruits. 



P. platye&rpa, Carolina Water-Ash. River swamps S. : small tree, 

 with terete branchlets, 5-7 ovate or oblong short-stalked leaflets acute at both 

 ends, and broadly winged (sometimes 3-winged) fruits, oblong with a tapering 

 base. 



S&F— 2S 



