Oleaceae
Oleaceae, the olive family, belonging to the order Lamiales and named for
the economically important olive tree (species Olea europaea). A number
of plants in the family are of economic or aesthetic importance: the olive
tree is the source of olives and olive oil; the ashes (genus Fraxinus) are
noted for their hardwood timber; and many genera are famous for their
horticultural merit—
e.g., Syringa (lilacs), Jasminum (jasmines), Ligustrum (privets), Forsythia
(golden bell), and Osmanthus (tea olive).
Distribution
• Most of the 24 genera and some 615 species of the family Oleaceae
are woody plants native to forested regions. Most members are trees
or shrubs, but a minority, such as most jasmines, are woody climbers.
• Plants of the family are distributed throughout the world, except for
the Arctic; they are especially abundant in tropical and temperate
Asia. The tropical and warm-temperate species are evergreen; those
from the colder North Temperate Zone are deciduous.
General Characters of Oleaceae:
Plants—shrubs, sometimes climbing (e.g., Fasminum) or trees (e.g., Olea,
Linociera, etc.). Leaves—usually opposite, simple, or pinnately compound,
entire or toothed, exstipulate. Inflorescence— cymose, usually 3-chotomous
cyme. Flowers—regular, usually bisexual (unisexual in Fraxinus and Olea),
hypogynous.
Examples:
Chionanthus (fringe tree)
Forsythia
Fraxinus (ash)
Jasminum grandiflorum (jasmine)
Ligustrum (privet)
Olea europea (olive)
Syringa (lilac)
Habit:
Trees or woody shrubs or undershrubs sometimes scandent or twining.
Root:
Tap and branched.
Stem:
Woody, erect or twining, branched.
Leaf:
Simple or compound pinnately opposite exstipulate, alternate in
Jasminium humile; entire, unicostate reticulate venation.
Floral characters:
Inflorescence:
Cymose or compound racemes, panicle.
Flower:
Actinomorphic, hermaphrodite rarely unisexual (Fraxinus spp. and
some species of Olea), tetramerous, hypogynous
Calyx:
Sepals usually 4 or 5 in Fraxinus excelsior and sometimes more than 5
(Jasminum spp.) more or less united, bell-shaped or tubular, usually small,
toothed or nearly entire, free in some species, persistent.
Corolla:
Petals 4-5, sometimes more (Jasminum spp.), gamopetalous, salver
or funnel shaped or rotate, valvate, imbricate (Jasminum), sometimes
as in Fraxinus, 4 petals, rarely free (Fraxinus ornus) or even absent.
Androecium:
Stamens 2, sometimes 4 (Hesperelaea and Tessarandra), inserted on the
corolla-tube or at the base of the petals. Filaments usually short, anthers
2-celled, extrose.
Gynoecium:
Carpels 2, syncarpous; ovary superior, 2-celled, with usually 2
anatropous, ascending or pendulous ovules in each loculus, rarely 4-10
ovules in each loculus; style usually short, simple; stigma terminal simple
or bilobed.
Fruit:
Variable-capsule, samara, berry or drupe.
Seed:
Endospermic and oily.
Pollination:
Entomophilous.
Economic Importance of Oleaceae:
1. Food: Fraxinus ornus is cultivated in the Mediterranean countries
for the sake of saccharine juice which flows out and coagulates into
“Manna” a sugary substance.
2. Medicinal:
Leaves of Jasminum sambac (Arabian Jasmine) are used in India as lactifuge and are said to be as efficacious
as belladona. A decoction of the leaves and roots are used for eye-sore. A decoction of roots of Jasminum
pubescence has some repute as an antidote for cobra venom while those of J. humile and J. officinale are said
to be useful in curing ringworm.
The leaves and flowers of Jasminium grardiflorum contain a resin, salicylic acid, an alkaloid ‘Jasminine’ and
an astringent. The whole plant is considered to be anthelmintic, diuretic and emmenagogue.
3. Oil:
Olive oil is obtained from the fruit-pulp and seeds of Olea europea. 4. Perfumes:
The sweet-scented flowers of Jasminum grandifiorum and J. sambac contain an essential oil which is used in
the preparation of well-known perfume, Jasmine.
5. Timber:
The wood of Fraxinus excelsior (Ash), Olea dioica and Olea robusta, yield excellent timber which is hard and
durable.
6. Dye:
The corolla of Nyctanthus yields an orange dye.
7. Ornamentals:
Many species of Jasminum, e.g., J. sambac and J. grandifiorum are
cultivated as ornamental shrubs on account of their elegant foliage and
beautiful sweet-scented flowers. Nyctanthes-arbortristis (Harsinghar) is
very popular for its sweet-scented flowers which open at night. Many
species of Ligustrum, Syringa (Lilac) and Forsythia are also beautiful
ornamentals.
Seeds erect. Fruit vertically constricted and divided
into two parts by constriction. Genus: Jasminum.
Habit:
Shrubby or climbing cultivated in gardens.
Root:
Tap and branched.
Stem:
Branched, erect or climbing.
Leaf:
Opposite rarely alternate, simple, usually compound,
imparipinnate, leaflets opposite, nearly sessile, entire, end
one the longest.
Inflorescence:
Terminal cymose clusters.
Flower:
Bracteate, hermaphrodite, actinomorphic, pedicellate,
complete.
Calyx:
Bell-shaped sometimes cytindrical with 4-10 lobes, teeth
short or long, gamosepalous, inferior.
Corolla:
Gamopetalous, tube slender, 4-10 lobed, to be spreading.
Androecium:
Stamens 2, epipetalous, bithecous, anther oblong,
filaments short, connective shortly produced.
Gynoecium:
Bicarpellary, syncarpous, bilocular, superior, 2 ovules in
each loculus; style slender, stigma capitate or linear.
Fruit:
A berry
