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The olive family consists of 25 genera and about 500 species of plants with opposite leaves. These plants are widely distributed in tropical and temperate forests of North and South America, Europe, and Asia. Some of the trees of this family are important timber-producing species, others are important ornamentals. |
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Osmanthus americanus
wild olive, devilwood |
Habit
The wild olive is a tree, 50-70 feet in height, 1 foot in diameter.
It has a long, narrow, somewhat oblong crown. This tree often appears
shrubby.
Leaves are simple, opposite, and persistant. The leaves are 4-5
inches long, 1-2.5 inches wide, oval to elliptical-shaped, tapering to
an acute, notched, or rounded apex. Leaf bases are wedge-shaped.
Leaf margins are entire and somewhat curled. Leaf surfaces are bright
green, leathery, and smooth above, paler below. Petioles are stout,
up to 3/4 inch long.
The twigs are slender, remotely angled, and brown. The pith is
white and homogeneous.
The bark is thin, tight, and gray-brown with small, appressed scales,
which exfoliate to reveal reddish inner bark.
The wild olive grows on moist, rich soil near swamps, ponds, and streams.
It is less common on dry upland sites. It is found from North Carolina
to Florida along the coast; west to Louisiana.
This tree is used as an ornamental.
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Chionanthus virginicus
fringetree |
Habit
The fringetree is a shrub which sometimes reaches arborescent proportions,
20-30 feet in height, 8-12 inches in diameter. It has a short trunk
with stout, ascending branches that form a narrow, oblong crown.
Leaves are simple, opposite, and deciduous. The leaves are 4-8
inches long, 1-4 inches wide, oval to elliptical-shaped, tapering to an
acute apex. Leaf bases are wedge-shaped. Leaf margins are entire
and somewhat wavy. Leaf surfaces are dark green and glabrous above,
paler below with numerous hairs on the veins. Petioles are
stout, up to 3/4 inch long.
The twigs are stout, slightly angled, ash-gray, and pubescent.
The pith is white and homogeneous.
The bark is thin, tight, and with thin appressed, brown superficial
scales.
The fringetree grows on moist, rich soil near streams. It is occassionally
found at altitudes of up to 4,000 feet. It is found from Pennsylvania
to Florida; west to Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.
The bark of the fringetree is a source of tonic and has been used as
a diuretic and fever reductant. It is frequently planted as an ornamental.
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Fraxinus americana
white ash |
![]() The white ash is a moderately large tree, 70-80 feet in height, 2-3 feet in diameter. In the forest it has a clear, straight bole, supporting a narrow, pyramidal crown. Open-grown trees produce branches within a few feet of the ground and form a broad, round-topped, symmetrical crown. Leaves Leaves are odd-pinnately compound, opposite, and deciduous. The
leaves are 8-13 inches long, with 5-9 stalked leaflets. The leaflets
are oval to elliptical-shaped, 3-5 inches long, 1-3 inches wide, with an
acute apex. Leaflet bases are rounded or wedge-shaped. Leaflet
margins are toothed or entire. Leaf surfaces are dark green and glabrous
above, paler below and more or less pubescent. Rachis are stout
and groooved.
The twigs are stout, green to greenish-brown. The pith is white
and homogeneous.
The bark is thick and gray-brown, becoming deeply and narrowly fissured by narrow, interlacing ridges, forming a diamond-shaped pattern. Habitat The white ash is most commonly found on moist, rich, well-drained soils
in association with other hardwoods. It is also found in bottomlands
near streams and often on low slopes. It is found from Nova Scotia
and New Brunswick; west through northern Michigan and southern Minnesota;
south to northern Florida and eastern Texas.
The white ash is an important timber species that is prized as a source
of wood, for handles, baseball bats and furniture. White ash is also
planted as an ornamental because it is attractive, hardy and relatively
free of diseases.
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Fraxinus caroliniana
pop ash, Carolina ash |
Habit
The pop ash is a relatively small tree, about 40 feet in height, 1 foot
in diameter. It has small branches that form a somewhat rounded,
narrow crown.
Leaves are odd-pinnately compound, opposite, and deciduous. The
leaves are 7-12 inches long, with 5-7 stalked leaflets. The leaflets
are oval-shaped, 3-6 inches long, 2-3 inches wide, with a blunt or rounded
apex. Leaflet bases are wedge-shaped. Leaflet margins are coarsely
serrate. Leaf surfaces are dark green and glabrous above, paler below.
Rachis are stout and circular in cross section.
The twigs are slender, at first greenish pubescent, becoming brown or
gray. The pith is white and homogeneous.
The bark is thin and gray with an irregularly scaly surface.
The pop ash is a swamp species. It is tolerant of excessive soil
moisture and able to withstand periodic inundation with water. It
is most commonly found in the shade of larger trees. It is found
from Maryland south along the Atlantic coastal plain to Florida and west
along the Gulf coastal plain to Texas. It is also found in Cuba.
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