''Olax'' is a

plant Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclud ...

genus in the family

Olacaceae Olacaceae is a family of flowering plants in the order Santalales. They are woody plants, native throughout the tropical regions of the world. , the circumscription of the family varies; some sources maintain a broad family, others split it into ...

. The name derives from the Latin, ''olax'' (malodorous), and refers to the unpleasant scent of some of the ''Olax'' species. ''Olax'' is an

Old World The "Old World" is a term for Afro-Eurasia that originated in Europe , after Europeans became aware of the existence of the Americas. It is used to contrast the continents of Africa, Europe, and Asia, which were previously thought of by the ...

genus represented by several climbers, some species have leaves and fruits smelling of

garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plant in the genus ''Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, Allium fistulosum, Welsh onion and Allium chinense, Chinese onion. It is native to South A ...

such as '' Olax subscorpioidea'' and '' Olax gambecola'', seeds of the latter are used as

condiment A condiment is a preparation that is added to food, typically after cooking, to impart a specific Flavoring, flavor, to enhance the flavor, or to complement the dish. A table condiment or table sauce is more specifically a condiment that is serv ...

s in parts of

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Maurit ...

. In

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

'' Olax nana'' is well known as one of the first species to emerge after

forest fires A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identif ...

, the shoots growing directly from buried roots.

Species

The type species is O. zeylanica. According to Plants of the world online the genus contains the following fifty-three species: # ''

Olax acuminata ''Olax'' is a plant genus in the family Olacaceae. The name derives from the Latin, ''olax'' (malodorous), and refers to the unpleasant scent of some of the ''Olax'' species. ''Olax'' is an Old World genus represented by several climbers, som ...

'' Wall. ex

Benth. George Bentham (22 September 1800 – 10 September 1884) was an English botanist, described by the weed botanist Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century". Born into a distinguished family, he initially studie ...

# ''

Olax angulata ''Olax'' is a plant genus in the family Olacaceae. The name derives from the Latin, ''olax'' (malodorous), and refers to the unpleasant scent of some of the ''Olax'' species. ''Olax'' is an Old World genus represented by several climbers, som ...

A.S.George Alexander Segger George (born 4 April 1939) is a Western Australian botanist. He is the authority on the plant genera ''Banksia'' and ''Dryandra''. The "bizarre" Restionaceae genus '' Alexgeorgea'' was named in his honour in 1976. Early life A ...

# ''

Olax angustifolia ''Olax'' is a plant genus in the family Olacaceae. The name derives from the Latin, ''olax'' (malodorous), and refers to the unpleasant scent of some of the ''Olax'' species. ''Olax'' is an Old World genus represented by several climbers, som ...

'' Compère # ''

Olax antsiranensis ''Olax'' is a plant genus in the family Olacaceae. The name derives from the Latin, ''olax'' (malodorous), and refers to the unpleasant scent of some of the ''Olax'' species. ''Olax'' is an Old World genus represented by several climbers, som ...

'' Z.S.Rogers, Malécot & Sikes # ''

Olax aphylla ''Olax'' is a plant genus in the family Olacaceae. The name derives from the Latin, ''olax'' (malodorous), and refers to the unpleasant scent of some of the ''Olax'' species. ''Olax'' is an Old World genus represented by several climbers, som ...

'' R.Br. # ''

Olax aschersoniana ''Olax'' is a plant genus in the family Olacaceae. The name derives from the Latin, ''olax'' (malodorous), and refers to the unpleasant scent of some of the ''Olax'' species. ''Olax'' is an Old World genus represented by several climbers, som ...

'' Büttner # ''

Olax aurantia ''Olax'' is a plant genus in the family Olacaceae. The name derives from the Latin, ''olax'' (malodorous), and refers to the unpleasant scent of some of the ''Olax'' species. ''Olax'' is an Old World genus represented by several climbers, som ...

# '' Olax austrosinensis'' Y.R.Ling # '' Olax benthamiana''

Miq. Friedrich Anton Wilhelm Miquel (24 October 1811 – 23 January 1871) was a Dutch botanist, whose main focus of study was on the flora of the Dutch East Indies. Early life Miquel was born in Neuenhaus and studied medicine at the University of Groni ...

# '' Olax candida'' ( Poepp.)

Christenh. Dr Maarten Joost Maria Christenhusz (born 27 April 1976) is a Dutch botanist, natural historian and photographer. Career He was born in Enschede, the Netherlands, received his undergraduate and master's degrees from Utrecht University in ...

& Byng # '' Olax capuronii'' Z.S.Rogers, Malécot & Sikes # '' Olax crassa'' ( Monach.)

& Byng # '' Olax cyanocarpa'' (

Sleumer Hermann Otto Sleumer (February 21, 1906 in Saarbrücken – October 1, 1993 in Oegstgeest) was a Dutch botanist of German birth. The plant genera ''Sleumerodendron'' Virot ( Proteaceae) and ''Sleumeria'' Utteridge, Nagam. & Teo (Icacinaceae T ...

)

& Byng # '' Olax dissitiflora''

Oliv. Daniel Oliver, FRS (6 February 1830, Newcastle upon Tyne – 21 December 1916) was an English botanist. He was Librarian of the Herbarium, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew from 1860–1890 and Keeper there from 1864–1890, and Professor of Botany at ...

# '' Olax egleri'' (

Bastos Bastos is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 mi ...

)

& Byng # '' Olax emirnensis''

Baker A baker is a tradesperson who bakes and sometimes sells breads and other products made of flour by using an oven or other concentrated heat source. The place where a baker works is called a bakery. History Ancient history Since grains ha ...

# '' Olax gambecola''

Baill. Henri Ernest Baillon was a French botanist and physician. He was born in Calais on 30 November 1827 and died in Paris on 19 July 1895. Baillon spent his professional life as a professor of natural history, and he published numerous works on ...

# '' Olax gardneriana''

# '' Olax gossweileri''

Exell Exell is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Arthur Wallis Exell Arthur Wallis Exell OBE (21 May 1901, in Birmingham – 15 January 1993, in Cheltenham) was initially an assistant and later Deputy Keeper of Botany at the Br ...

Mendonça Mendonça () is a Portuguese and Galician surname of Basque origin. It sometimes appears as the anglicized forms ''Mendonca'' or ''Mendonsa''. The Spanish variant is Mendoza. The name has been often linked with royalty. The name may refer to: ...

# '' Olax guianensis'' ( Engl.)

& Byng # '' Olax hypoleuca''

# ''

Olax imbricata ''Olax'' is a plant genus in the family Olacaceae. The name derives from the Latin, ''olax'' (malodorous), and refers to the unpleasant scent of some of the ''Olax'' species. ''Olax'' is an Old World genus represented by several climbers, som ...

Roxb. William Roxburgh FRSE FRCPE FLS (3/29 June 1751 – 18 February 1815) was a Scottish surgeon and botanist who worked extensively in India, describing species and working on economic botany. He is known as the founding father of Indian botany. ...

# '' Olax inopiflora'' ( Miers)

& Byng # '' Olax lanceolata''

Cavaco The cavaquinho (pronounced in Portuguese) is a small Portuguese string instrument in the European guitar family, with four wires or gut strings. More broadly, ''cavaquinho'' is the name of a four-stringed subdivision of the lute family of instr ...

& Keraudren # '' Olax latifolia'' Engl. # '' Olax laxiflora''

Ridl. Henry Nicholas Ridley CMG (1911), MA (Oxon), FRS, FLS, F.R.H.S. (10 December 1855 – 24 October 1956) was an English botanist, geologist and naturalist who lived much of his life in Singapore. He was instrumental in promoting rubber trees ...

# '' Olax macrophylla''

# '' Olax madagascariensis'' (

DC. Augustin Pyramus (or Pyrame) de Candolle (, , ; 4 February 17789 September 1841) was a Swiss botanist. René Louiche Desfontaines launched de Candolle's botanical career by recommending him at a herbarium. Within a couple of years de Candolle ...

)

# '' Olax mannii''

# '' Olax mayottensis'' Z.S.Rogers, Malécot & Sikes # '' Olax nana'' Wall. ex

# '' Olax obcordata''

# '' Olax obtusa'' Blume # '' Olax obtusifolia'' De Wild. # '' Olax papillosa'' (

)

& Byng # '' Olax pauciflora''

# '' Olax pendula'' L.S.Sm. # '' Olax pentandra''

# '' Olax phyllanthi'' R.Br. # '' Olax psittacorum'' ( Lam.)

Vahl Vahl is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Christian-Friedrich Vahl (born 1955), German cardiac surgeon * Emanuel Vahl (born 1938), Ukrainian-Israeli composer *Herbert-Ernst Vahl, German SS general *Jens Vahl (1796–1854), Danis ...

# '' Olax redmondii'' ( Steyerm.)

& Byng # '' Olax retusa''

F.Muell. Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, (german: Müller; 30 June 1825 – 10 October 1896) was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist. He was appointed government botanist for the then colony of Vic ...

# '' Olax scalariformis''

# '' Olax scandens''

# '' Olax singularis'' ( Vell.)

& Byng # '' Olax spartea''

# '' Olax staudtii'' Engl. # '' Olax stricta'' R.Br. # '' Olax subscorpioidea''

# '' Olax tepuiensis'' ( Steyerm.)

& Byng # '' Olax triplinervia''

# '' Olax wildemanii'' Engl. # ''

Olax zeylanica ''Olax zeylanica'' is a plant species in the family Olacaceae and the type species of the genus ''Olax ''Olax'' is a plant genus in the family Olacaceae. The name derives from the Latin, ''olax'' (malodorous), and refers to the unpleasant ...

'' L.

Gallery

Olax phyllanthi Mt Adelaide Albany.jpg, ''Olax phyllanthi'' Olax imbricata Roxb. (8503288374).jpg, ''Olax imbricata'', flowers Olax imbricata Roxb. (8729382306).jpg, ''Olax imbricata'', fruit Olax scandens seeds, by Omar Hoftun.jpg, ''Olax scandens'', seeds Olax imbricata Roxb. (12909987654).jpg, ''Olax imbricata'', bark

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2234904 Olacaceae Santalales genera Taxonomy articles created by Polbot