Flora of the Carolinas, Virginia, and Georgia, Working Draft of 17 March 2004 -- OLEACEAE OLEACEAE (Olive Family) A family of about 24 genera and 615 species, trees and shrubs, nearly cosmopolitan, but centered in Asia. References: Hardin (1974)=Z. 1 Leaves pinnately compound; fruit a samara; plant a small to large tree . Fraxinus 1 Leaves simple; fruit a drupe or capsule; plant a shrub to small tree. 2 Flowers bright yellow, showy; fruit a many-seeded capsule . Forsythia 2 Flowers white, lilac, or purplish; fruit a drupe or 4-seeded capsule. 3 Leaves cordate or truncate at the base; fruit a 4-seeded capsule; corolla lobes shorter than the tube; flowers lilac or white, in terminal panicles ...............................................................Syringa 3 Leaves cuneate to rounded at the base; fruit a drupe; corolla lobes either shorter or longer than the tube; flowers white or greenish-white, in terminal or lateral panicles or fascicles. 4 Corolla absent; calyx minute or lacking; flowers in axillary fascicles . Forestiera 4 Corolla present (often conspicuous and showy); calyx present; flowers lateral or terminal panicles. 5 Corolla lobes elongate, much longer than the corolla tube . Chionanthus 5 Corolla lobes short, no longer than the corolla tube. 6 Inflorescence a many-flowered terminal panicle; leaves generally ovate, elliptic or lanceolate (widest below or at the middle)....................................................Ligustrum 6 Inflorescence a few-flowered axillary panicle; leaves generally oblanceolate or obovate (widest above the middle)........................................................... Osmanthus Chionanthus Linnaeus (Fringe-tree, Old Man's Beard) A genus of controversial circumscription, either of only 3 species, limited to se. North America and e. Asia, or (if including Linociera) of about 100 species, primarily tropical. Ch. pygmaeus Small is endemic to scrub in peninsular FL. References: Hardin (1974)=Z. Chionanthus virginicus Linnaeus, Fringe-tree, Old Man's Beard. Pd, Mt, Cp (GA, NC, SC, VA): dry, mesic, or wet forests and woodlands, granitic flatrocks and domes, glades and barrens over various rocks (including granite, greenstone, etc.), swamp forests in the Coastal Plain, rarely pocosins; common. April-May; July-September. NJ, s. PA, s. OH, and MO south to n. FL and e. TX. Ch. virginicus in our area shows a diversity of morphology and correlated habitat that suggests the possible presence of two taxa. Swamp- and pocosin-inhabiting populations in the outer Coastal Plain have leaves 4-8× as long as wide and seem very different than Piedmont dry woodland populations with leaves 1-2× as long as wide; further and more careful study is needed. Ch. virginicus is a traditional southern yard plant, often used as a "specimen plant," very showy in spring, particularly when grown to its full size. [= RAB, C, F, G, GW, K, S, W, Z] Forestiera Poiret (Forestiera) A genus of about 15 species, shrubs, of sw. and se. North America. References: Anderson (1985)=Y; Godfrey (1988)=X; Hardin (1974)=Z. 1 Leaves (6-) 7-8 (-9) cm long, long-acuminate or acuminate (rarely acute) at the apex, the tip sharply pointed; [plants of swamp forests, sloughs, and ponds] ................................................................ F. acuminata 1 Leaves 1.5-7 (-8) cm long, obtuse at the apex, or if short-acuminate the ultimate tip blunt; [plants of shell middens and calcareous bluffs]. 2 Leaves evergreen, glabrous above, glabrous and punctate below; leaf margins entire . F. segregata var. segregata 2 Leaves deciduous, at least sparsely pubescent on the midrib above, pubescent and non-punctate below. 3 First-year twigs pubescent, the pubescence evenly distributed (not in 2 lines); petioles moderately pubescent; plant flowering in early spring from buds on twigs of the previous season; leaves 5-7 (-8) cm long . F. godfreyi 3 First-year twigs pubescent, the pubescence in 2 lines on either side of the twig; petioles glabrous (or with a very few hairs; plant flowering in mid-late summer, the flowers in leaf axils; leaves mostly 2-5 cm long . F. ligustrina Forestiera acuminata (Michaux) Poiret, Swamp-privet. Cp (GA, SC): swamp forests, especially over calcareous substrates; uncommon. March; May-June. SC south to n. FL, west to TX, north in the interior to KY, e. and c. TN, IN, IL, MO, and KS. [= RAB, C, F, G, GW, K, S, X, Y, Z] Forestiera godfreyi L.C. Anderson, Godfrey's Forestiera. Cp (GA, SC): shell middens, maritime forests over shell substrate; rare (GA Special Concern). February; April-May. Se. SC (Beaufort and Charleston counties) to e. GA and n. FL. [= K, X, Y; F. pubescens Nuttall -- S, in part (apparently)] Forestiera ligustrina (Michaux) Poiret in Lamarck, Southern-privet. Cp, Pd (GA, SC): upland forests and slopes along streams, mostly on shell middens or calcareous rocks; rare (SC Rare). E. SC south to n. FL, west to se. TX, north in the interior to c. TN and KY. [= K, S, X, Z] Forestiera segregata (Jacquin) Krug & Urban var. segregata, Florida-privet. Cp (GA, SC): calcareous scrub, shell middens, maritime forests and thickets; rare (Ga Special Concern, SC Rare). Se. SC south to s. FL, and in the West Indies. [= K, Z; F. 443 Flora of the Carolinas, Virginia, and Georgia, Working Draft of 17 March 2004 -- OLEACEAE porulosa (Michaux) Poiret -- S; F. globularis Small -- S; F. segregata -- X, infraspecific taxa not distinguished] Forsythia Vahl (Forsythia, Golden-bells) A genus of about 7 species, shrubs, of e. Asia and se. Europe. References: Hardin (1974)=Z 1 Mature branches hollow or irregularly pith-filled between the nodes; leaves oblong-ovate, toothed or 3-parted; branches arching when well-developed ................................................................ F. suspensa 1 Mature branches cross-septate (chambered) between the nodes; leaves oblong-lanceolate, toothed; branches upright . ...................................................................................... F. viridissima * Forsythia suspensa (Thunberg) Vahl, Weeping Forsythia. Pd (GA, NC, VA), Mt (VA): waste places, vacant lots, suburban woodlands; commonly planted and persistent, rarely escaped (native of China). [= C, G, K, Z] * Forsythia viridissima Lindley, Greenstem Forsythia. Pd (GA, NC, VA), Cp, Mt (VA): waste places, vacant lots, suburban woodlands; commonly planted and persistent, rarely escaped (native of China). [= C, G, K, W, Z] Fraxinus Linnaeus (Ash) A genus of about 65 species, trees, mostly north temperate (Asia, North America, Europe). References: Hardin & Beckmann (1982)=Z; Miller (1955)=Y. 1 Young twigs 4-angled or narrowly 4-winged; [trees of calcareous woodlands in the Mountains of sw. VA] . F. quadrangulata 1 Young twigs terete (rounded in cross-section); [trees of various habitats, collectively widespread in our area]. 2 Lateral leaflets sessile; calyx absent ...........................................................F. nigra 2 Lateral leaflets with petiolules (1-) 3-20 mm long; calyx present, persisting as a minute cup at the base of the fruits. 3 Leaves minutely papillose beneath (best seen at magnification of 40× or more), and sometimes also pubescent, more-or-less strongly whitened; wing of the samara decurrent only onto the upper 1/3 (or less) of the samara body .............................................................................. F. americana 3 Leaves glabrous to pubescent beneath (never papillose), green; wing of the samara decurrent onto 1/2 (or more) of the samara body. 4 Petiolules of the lowermost leaflets 1-9 mm long, all but 1-2 mm narrowly winged; samara mostly less than 7 mm wide; calyx 0.5-1.5 mm long .............................................. F. pennsylvanica 4 Petiolules of the lowermost leaflets 3-20 mm long, not winged (except F. caroliniana); samara mostly more than 7 mm wide; calyx 1-6 mm long. 5 Body of samara flattened, winged the full length of the samara body; calyx 1 mm long; leaf scars slightly notched; small tree, often multi-trunked........................................ F. caroliniana 5 Body of samara terete or subterete, winged about 1/2 the length of the samara body; calyx 2.5-6 mm long; leaf scars deeply notched; medium to large tree, typically single-trunked . F. profunda Fraxinus americana, White Ash, American Ash. Mt, Pd, Cp (GA, NC, SC, VA): mesic slopes, rich cove forests, dryish calcareous or mafic glades and woodlands (with Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana and Carya glabra); common (rare in Coastal Plain of NC, SC, and GA). April-May; August-October. Nova Scotia west to MN, south to FL and TX. A valuable timber tree. The division into 2 taxa, var. americana and var. biltmoreana, needs further study. [= C, K, W, Z; F. americana Linnaeus var. americana -- RAB, F, G; F. americana Linnaeus var. biltmoreana (Beadle) J. Wright ex Fernald – RAB, F, G; F. americana var. microcarpa A. Gray -- F; F. americana -- S, Y, in the narrow sense; F. biltmoreana Beadle -- S, Y] Fraxinus caroliniana P. Miller, Water Ash, Pop Ash, Carolina Ash. Cp, Pd (GA, NC, SC, VA): deeply to shallowly flooded swamps; common (rare in Piedmont). May; July-October. Se. VA south to FL, west to TX, primarily on the Coastal Plain. A small tree, sometimes very abundant (and nearly the only subcanopy species) as the understory in Taxodium-Nyssa swamps. [= RAB, C, F, G, GW, K, S, Y, Z; F. caroliniana var. oblanceolata (M.A. Curtis) Fernald & Schubert -- F; F. caroliniana var. cubensis (Grisebach) Lingelsh. -- F; F. pauciflora Nuttall -- S] Fraxinus nigra Marshall, Black Ash. Mt, Pd (VA): seepage swamps and mountain streambanks; rare (VA Watch List). April- May; August-October. Newfoundland and Quebec west to Manitoba, south to DE, VA, IN, and IA. [= C, F, G, K, W, Y, Z] Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marshall, Green Ash, Red Ash. Cp, Pd, Mt (GA, NC, SC, VA): bottomlands and swamps, especially along brownwater rivers and streams; common. April-May; August-October. Nova Scotia west to Alberta, south to FL and TX. Variation in this species (see synonymy) needs further study. [= RAB, C, F, G, GW, K, S, W, Z; F. pennsylvanica var. subintegerrima (Vahl) Fernald -- RAB, F, G; F. pensylvanica var. austinii Fernald -- F; F. darlingtonii Britton -- S; F. smallii Britton -- S; F. pennsylvanica ssp.