OLEACEAE

OLIVE FAMILY

Dieter H. Wilken

Shrub, tree, or vine, some dioecious
Leaves alternate or opposite, deciduous or evergreen, simple to pinnately compound
Inflorescence various; flower sometimes solitary
Flower sometimes unisexual, generally radial; calyx generally minute, tube cup-shaped, lobes 4–15; petals (0)4–6, generally fused; stamens generally 2, epipetalous; pistil 1, ovary superior, chambers 2, placentas axile, ovules 2–4 per chamber, style 1, stigma generally 2-lobed
Fruit: drupe, capsule, or winged achene
Seed 1 per chamber
Genera in family: ± 25 genera, 900 species: ± worldwide; some cultivated for ornamental (Forsythia ; Jasminum , jasmine; Ligustrum , privet; Syringa , lilac) or food (Olea )
Reference: [Wilson & Wood 1959 J Arnold Arbor 40:369–384]

FORESTIERA

Shrub, generally dioecious
Leaves simple, opposite or clustered, generally deciduous, short-petioled
Inflorescence: clusters, axillary; staminate flowers subsessile; pistillate flowers pedicelled
Flower: calyx minute, minutely ± 4-lobed, deciduous; corolla 0
Staminate flower: stamens 1–4; pistil vestigial
Pistillate flower: stamens 0; ovules 2 per chamber, stigma 1–2-lobed
Fruit: drupe
Species in genus: ± 20 species: Am
Etymology: (Charles Le Forestier, French physician & naturalist, early 19th century)

Native

F. pubescens Nutt.

DESERT OLIVE

Shrub 5–25 dm
Stem: bark smooth, grayish; twigs short, spine-like, puberulent, becoming glabrous
Leaf: blade 15–40 mm, lanceolate to elliptic, leathery, entire to minutely toothed, glabrous
Inflorescence generally appearing before leaves
Staminate flower: stamens 3–6 mm
Fruit 5–8 mm, elliptic in outline, purple-black, ± glaucous
Chromosomes: 2n=46
Ecology: Streambanks, canyons, washes
Elevation: 100–1800 m.
Bioregional distribution: s Sierra Nevada Foothills, c&s High Sierra Nevada (eastern slope), Tehachapi Mountain Area, eastern San Francisco Bay Area, Outer South Coast Ranges (eastern slope), Inner South Coast Ranges, Transverse Ranges, Peninsular Ranges, s East of Sierra Nevada, Mojave Desert
Distribution outside California: to Colorado, Texas, n Mexico
Flowering time: Mar–Apr
Synonyms: F. neomexicana A. Gray
Horticultural information: 1, 7, 14, 15, 16, 17, 22, 23, 24 IRR: 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 21.