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. latifolia Benth.

OREGON ASH

Tree < 25 m, dioecious
Stem: twigs cylindric
Leaf 12–33 cm; petiole glabrous to puberulent; leaflets 5–7, 2–10 cm, widely elliptic to narrowly ovate, entire to ± serrate, sparsely puberulent below, sessile (or lower very short-petioled)
Flower: petals 0
Fruit 28–50 mm, 5–8 mm wide; body subcylindric, winged from ± lower 3/4
Chromosomes: 2n=46
Ecology: Canyons, streambanks, woodland
Elevation: < 1700 m.
Bioregional distribution: Northwestern California, Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada, Great Central Valley, San Francisco Bay Area, Modoc Plateau
Distribution outside California: to British Columbia
Horticultural information: 4, 5, 6 &IRR: 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24.