Family Oleaceae
Description: Trees, shrubs or climbers.
Leaves opposite or rarely alternate, simple or pinnately compound with 1 to many leaflets, margins entire or toothed; petiolate, stipules absent.
Inflorescences terminal or axillary, panicles or cymes. Flowers actinomorphic, frequently heterostylous, bisexual, [rarely unisexual and then plants dioecious], 4-or 5-merous. Calyx mostly tubular and 4- or 5-lobed; lobes rounded, triangular, linear or absent. Corolla usually tubular and 4- or 5-lobed (to 10-lobed in Jasminum) or petals ± free. Stamens 2 [or rarely 4], epipetalous, or connecting the petals; anthers 2-locular, dehiscence by longitudinal slits. Ovary superior, 2-locular, usually with 2 ovules per loculus; style terminal, ± 2-lobed or capitate.
Fruit drupaceous, a berry, samara or capsule; often 1-seeded.
Distribution and occurrence: World: c. 29 genera, 600 species, cosmopolitan, but best developed in Asia & Malesia. Australia: 6 genera, 25–32 species, all States.
External links:
Angiosperm Phylogeny Website (Family: Oleaceae, Order: Lamiales)
Wikipedia Fraxinus angustifolius Vahl., a deciduous tree with pinnately compound leaves, is often cultivated in cooler climates. It has been recorded as naturalised in and around several towns.
Text by D. W. Hardin (1992); edited KL Wilson (April 2009)
Taxon concept:
Taxa not yet included in identification key
Chionanthus
| | Key to the genera | |
| + | Yet to be included in key (Panicles axillary) | Fraxinus |
| 1 | Climbers or scramblers, or sometimes many-stemmed scandent shrubs and usually less than 1.5 m high; corolla tubular, 5–10-lobed | Jasminum |
| Trees or shrubs, mostly erect, few-stemmed and mostly more than 1.5 m high; corolla either tubular and 4-lobed or of 4 more or less free petals | 2 |
| 2 | Flowers in panicles | 3 |
| Flowers in simple racemes
Back to 1 | Notelaea |
| 3 | Panicles axillary, or rarely axillary and terminal; leaves usually densely covered with peltate scales on lower surface | Olea |
| Panicles terminal; leaves glabrous or young leaves pubescent
Back to 2 | Ligustrum |
|
