THE OLIVE / ASH FAMILY (Oleaceae)

Oleaceae is an ancient family with a long evolutionary history consisting of around 600 species of shrubs, trees and occasionally vines. As shrubs, members of this family may be twining climbers, or scramblers. It includes both evergreen and deciduous species and has a worldwide distribution in tropical, subtropical and temperate climates. It has many economically important members such as the olive (Olea europaea), important for its fruit and the oil extracted from it, ash trees (Fraxinus) that are valued for their tough wood and forsythia, lilac, jasmine and privet, valued as ornamental and hedge plants in parks and gardens.

The family is characterized by opposite leaves that may be pinnately simple or compound. Alternate or whorled arrangements are rarely observed, though some jasmines have spiral arrangements. The leaves may be either deciduous or evergreen, with evergreen species predominating in warm temperate and tropical regions, and deciduous species predominating in colder regions.

The flowers are most often bisexual and radially symmetrical, occurring in clusters, and often fragrant. Flower parts are in twos (2 stamens, 2-part ovary, 2-lobed stigma) with 4 petals. Fruit can be berries, drupes, capsules or winged fruit.

(source: Wikipedia)