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]

FRAXINUS

ASH

Shrub or tree, generally dioecious
Stem: bark smooth to furrowed, generally gray; twigs generally puberulent, becoming glabrous
Leaves opposite, deciduous, odd-pinnate, petioled, generally thin, generally glabrous; leaflet dark green above, pale below, generally glabrous, base and tip rounded to acute
Inflorescence: clusters or panicles, axillary, often peduncled; flowers pedicelled
Flower: calyx 1–2 mm, shallowly ± 4-lobed; petals 0, 2, or 4, free or fused
Staminate flower: stamens generally 2; pistil vestigial
Pistillate flower: stamens 0; ovules 2 per chamber
Fruit: achene, winged
Seed generally 1
Species in genus: ± 65 species: temp North America, Eurasia, tropical Asia
Etymology: (Latin: ancient name)
Reference: [Little 1952 J WA Acad Sci 42:369–380]

Native

F. anomala S. Watson

SINGLE-LEAF ASH

Shrub or tree < 6 m
Stem: twigs generally 4-angled
Leaf 2–10 cm; petiole glandular-puberulent; leaflets generally 1(–5), 1–6 cm, stalked, narrowly ovate to ± round, thick, entire to irregularly crenate
Flower generally bisexual; petals 0
Fruit 13–25 mm, 5–10 mm wide; body flat, winged from near base
Chromosomes: 2n=46
Ecology: Washes, rocky slopes, scrub, pinyon/juniper woodland
Elevation: 1100–2400 m.
Bioregional distribution: n&e Desert Mountains
Distribution outside California: to Colorado, New Mexico
Flowering time: Apr–May
Horticultural information: DRN, IRR: 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23.