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]

MENODORA

Perennial to shrub, generally glabrous
Leaves opposite to alternate, simple, generally entire, sessile to short-petioled
Inflorescence appearing after leaves; axillary clusters or terminal panicle
Flower bisexual; calyx lobes 5–15, ± linear, persistent; corolla ± rotate to funnel-shaped, lobes 4–6; ovules 2–4 per chamber, style slender, stigmatic lobes 2, ± spheric
Fruit: capsule, dehiscent by valves, circumscissile, or ± indehiscent, 2-lobed to near base
Seeds 4–8
Species in genus: ± 25 species: Am, s Africa
Etymology: (Greek: perhaps half-moon spear, from appearance of fruit on stiff pedicel)
Reference: [Steyermark 1932 Ann Missouri Bot Gard 19:87–176]

Native

M. scoparia A. Gray

Perennial to subshrub, ± glabrous
Stems generally many from base, 30–60 cm, generally erect
Leaves generally alternate, 5–25 mm, linear to obovate, reduced and narrower upward
Inflorescence terminal
Flower: calyx lobes 5–8, 3–6 mm, glabrous; corolla tube 3–5 mm; anthers and stigma exserted
Fruit circumscissile; lobes 5–7 mm
Chromosomes: 2n=22
Ecology: Rocky slopes, canyons
Elevation: 600–2000 m.
Bioregional distribution: e&s Mojave Desert, w Sonoran Desert, e Peninsular Ranges
Distribution outside California: to Texas, n Mexico
Flowering time: May–Jul