334 PLANTS OP NEW ZEALAND 



Oleaceae. 



The Olive Family. 



Distribution. — A family of nearly 400 species, occurring chiefly in tropical 

 and warm temperate regions. This family includes two British species, the Ash 

 (Fraxinus) and the Privet (Ligustrum). The Lilac (Syringa vulgaris) is a well- 

 known garden plant. Pronr the Olive (Olea) a valuable oil is obtained. 



Genus Olea. 



Trees or shrubs. Leaves usually opposite, entire, leathery. Flowers 

 axillary, inconspicuous, racemed or pauicled. Staminate flowers with a 2-4-lobed 

 calyx. Petals absent. Stamens 2 ; anthers large, exserted. Pistillate flowers 

 with an unequally 4-lobed calyx. Ovary 2-celled. Fruit a drupe, 1- or 2-celled. 



Olea Cunninghamii (TJte Maire). 



A large tree, with whitish branches. Young shoots downy. Leaves .3 in.- 

 6 in. long., linear-oblong, obtuse, leathery. Flowers greenish-white, 10-15 

 together. Eaceme ^ in.-f in. long, erect. Drupe J in. long. North and east of 

 the North Island. PI. Oct. -Nov. 



Olea lanceolata. 



Smaller in all its parts than 0. Gunninghamii. Bark white. Leaves 2 in.- 



i in. long, acute, with raised veins. Racemes 6-10-flowered, slightly hairy. 



Flowers minute. Berry crimson, i in. long. North Island : bush. Fl. Oct.- 

 Dec. 



Loganiaceae. 



The Nux-Vomica Family. 



Distribution. — An essentially tropical family, but extending to North 

 America, Australia, and New Zealand. Many of the plants contain powerfully 

 poisonous principles, notably so the genus Strychnos. Stryclmos nux-vomica, 

 the poison-nut of the East Indies, yields the poisonous drug strychnine. The 

 Upas tree of .Java is also well known as containing a deadly poison. 



