''Olea'' ( ) is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of about 40 species in the family

Oleaceae Oleaceae, also known as the olive family, is a taxonomic family of flowering shrubs, trees, and a few lianas in the order Lamiales, It presently comprises 28 genera, one of which is recently extinct.Peter S. Green. 2004. "Oleaceae". pages 296-30 ...

, native to warm temperate and tropical regions of the Middle East, southern

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, southern

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

, and

Australasia Australasia is a region that comprises Australia, New Zealand and some neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term is used in a number of different contexts, including geopolitically, physiogeographically, philologically, and ecologica ...

.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, genus ''Olea''
/ref> They are

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, which ...

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

s and

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

s, with small, opposite, entire

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

. The

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

is a

drupe In botany, a drupe (or stone fruit) is an indehiscent fruit in which an outer fleshy part (exocarp, or skin, and mesocarp, or flesh) surrounds a single shell (the ''pit'', ''stone'', or '' pyrena'') of hardened endocarp with a seed (''kernel'') ...

. Leaves of ''Olea'' contain trichosclereids. For humans, the most important and familiar species is by far the

olive The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'', meaning 'European olive' in Latin, is a species of small tree or shrub in the family Oleaceae, found traditionally in the Mediterranean Basin. When in shrub form, it is known as ''Olea europaea'' ...

(''Olea europaea''), native to the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

region, Africa, southwest Asia, and the Himalayas,Altevista Flora Italiana, Oleastro, ''Olea europaea'' L.
/ref> which is the

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...

of the genus. The

native olive Native olive is a common name for several plants and may refer to: *''Bursaria incana'' (Pittosporaceae) *'' Bursaria spinosa'' (Pittosporaceae) *'' Chionanthus ramiflorus'' (Oleaceae) *'' Notelaea ligustrina'' (Oleaceae) *'' Notelaea lloydii'' (Ole ...

(''O. paniculata'') is a larger tree, attaining a height of 15–18 m in the forests of

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, and yielding a hard and tough

timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, wi ...

. The yet harder wood of the black ironwood ''O. capensis'', an inhabitant of

Natal NATAL or Natal may refer to: Places * Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, a city in Brazil * Natal, South Africa (disambiguation), a region in South Africa ** Natalia Republic, a former country (1839–1843) ** Colony of Natal, a former British colony ...

, is important in South Africa. ''Olea'' species are used as food plants by the

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

e of some

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) is an order (biology), order of insects that includes butterfly, butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 Family (biology), families and 46 Taxonomic r ...

species including

double-striped pug The double-striped pug (''Gymnoscelis rufifasciata'') is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is a widespread and common species, being found throughout the Palearctic region, including the Near East and North Africa. This is a variable species ...

Species

Species accepted: # ''

Olea ambrensis ''Olea'' ( ) is a genus of about 40 species in the family Oleaceae, native to warm temperate and tropical regions of the Middle East, southern Europe, Africa, southern Asia, and Australasia. They are evergreen trees and shrubs, with small, oppo ...

'' H.Perrier - Madagascar # '' Olea borneensis'' Boerl. - Borneo, Philippines # '' Olea brachiata'' (Lour.) Merr. - Guangdong, Hainan, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Peninsular Malaysia, Anambas Islands # ''

Olea capensis ''Olea capensis'', the black ironwood, is an African tree species in the olive family Oleaceae. It is widespread in sub-Saharan Africa: from the east in Somalia, Ethiopia and Sudan, south to the tip of South Africa, and west to Cameroon, Sierra ...

'' L. – Small Ironwood - Comoros, Madagascar; Africa from South Africa north to Ethiopia, Sudan, Zaire, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, etc # '' Olea capitellata '' Ridl. - Pahang # ''

Olea caudatilimba ''Olea'' ( ) is a genus of about 40 species in the family Oleaceae, native to warm temperate and tropical regions of the Middle East, southern Europe, Africa, southern Asia, and Australasia. They are evergreen trees and shrubs, with small, opp ...

'' L.C.Chia - Yunnan # '' Olea chimanimani'' Kupicha - Chimanimani Mountains of Mozambique and Zimbabwe # ''

Olea cordatula ''Olea'' ( ) is a genus of about 40 species in the family Oleaceae, native to warm temperate and tropical regions of the Middle East, southern Europe, Africa, southern Asia, and Australasia. They are evergreen trees and shrubs, with small, oppo ...

'' H.L.Li - Vietnam # ''

Olea dioica ''Olea'' ( ) is a genus of about 40 species in the family Oleaceae, native to warm temperate and tropical regions of the Middle East, southern Europe, Africa, southern Asia, and Australasia. They are evergreen trees and shrubs, with small, opp ...

'' Roxb. - India, Bangladesh, Myanmar # ''

Olea europaea The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'', meaning 'European olive' in Latin, is a species of small tree or shrub in the family Oleaceae, found traditionally in the Mediterranean Basin. When in shrub form, it is known as ''Olea europaea'' ...

'' L. – Olive - Mediterranean, Africa, southwestern Asia, Himalayas; naturalized many other places # '' Olea exasperata'' Jacq. - South Africa # ''

Olea gagnepainii ''Olea'' ( ) is a genus of about 40 species in the family Oleaceae, native to warm temperate and tropical regions of the Middle East, southern Europe, Africa, southern Asia, and Australasia. They are evergreen trees and shrubs, with small, oppo ...

'' Knobl. - Thailand, Laos # ''

Olea gamblei ''Olea'' ( ) is a genus of about 40 species in the family Oleaceae, native to warm temperate and tropical regions of the Middle East, southern Europe, Africa, southern Asia, and Australasia. They are evergreen trees and shrubs, with small, oppo ...

'' C.B.Clarke - Sikkim # '' Olea hainanensis'' H.L.Li - Vietnam, Laos, Guangdong, Hainan # '' Olea javanica'' (Blume) Knobl. - Philippines, western Indonesia # ''

Olea lancea ''Olea lancea'' grows as a shrub or small tree up to tall. Distribution It is known from Madagascar, Mauritius, La Réunion LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also ref ...

'' Lam. - Madagascar, Mauritius, Réunion, Rodrigues Island # ''

Olea laxiflora ''Olea'' ( ) is a genus of about 40 species in the family Oleaceae, native to warm temperate and tropical regions of the Middle East, southern Europe, Africa, southern Asia, and Australasia. They are evergreen trees and shrubs, with small, oppo ...

'' H.L.Li - Yunnan # ''

Olea moluccensis ''Olea'' ( ) is a genus of about 40 species in the family Oleaceae, native to warm temperate and tropical regions of the Middle East, southern Europe, Africa, southern Asia, and Australasia. They are evergreen trees and shrubs, with small, opp ...

'' Kiew - Maluku # '' Olea neriifolia'' H.L.Li - Hainan # ''

Olea palawanensis ''Olea'' ( ) is a genus of about 40 species in the family Oleaceae, native to warm temperate and tropical regions of the Middle East, southern Europe, Africa, southern Asia, and Australasia. They are evergreen trees and shrubs, with small, opp ...

'' Kiew - Palawan # ''

Olea paniculata ''Olea paniculata'', commonly known as the native olive, is a plant of the genus ''Olea'' and a relative of the olive. It grows natively in Pakistan and southwestern China (Yunnan) through tropical Asia to Australia (Queensland and New South Wal ...

'' R.Br. - Yunnan, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Kashmir, Malaysia, Nepal, New Guinea, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Australia, New Caledonia, Vanuatu # '' Olea parvilimba'' (Merr. & Chun) B.M.Miao - Hainan, Vietnam # '' Olea polygama'' Wight - India, Sri Lanka # ''

Olea puberula ''Olea'' ( ) is a genus of about 40 species in the family Oleaceae, native to warm temperate and tropical regions of the Middle East, southern Europe, Africa, southern Asia, and Australasia. They are evergreen trees and shrubs, with small, oppo ...

'' Ridl. - Peninsular Malaysia # ''

Olea rosea ''Olea'' ( ) is a genus of about 40 species in the family Oleaceae, native to warm temperate and tropical regions of the Middle East, southern Europe, Africa, southern Asia, and Australasia. They are evergreen trees and shrubs, with small, oppo ...

'' Craib - Yunnan, Thailand # '' Olea rubrovenia'' (Elmer) Kiew - Borneo, Philippines # ''

Olea salicifolia ''Olea'' ( ) is a genus of about 40 species in the family Oleaceae, native to warm temperate and tropical regions of the Middle East, southern Europe, Africa, southern Asia, and Australasia. They are evergreen trees and shrubs, with small, opp ...

'' Wall. ex G.Don - Assam, southern China, Indochina # '' Olea schliebenii'' Knobl. - Tanzania # ''

Olea tetragonoclada ''Olea'' ( ) is a genus of about 40 species in the family Oleaceae, native to warm temperate and tropical regions of the Middle East, southern Europe, Africa, southern Asia, and Australasia. They are evergreen trees and shrubs, with small, oppo ...

'' L.C.Chia - Guangxi # '' Olea tsoongii'' (Merr.) P.S.Green - Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Sichuan, Yunnan # ''

Olea welwitschii ''Olea welwitschii'', the Elgon teak, is a species of tree in the family Oleaceae. It ranges across parts of subsaharan Africa, from Cameroon in the west to Ethiopia and Kenya in the east, and south to Angola, Zambia, and Mozambique. It is a fore ...

'' (Knobl.) Gilg & G.Schellenb. - central and eastern Africa from Ethiopia to Zimbabwe # ''

Olea wightiana ''Olea'' ( ) is a genus of about 40 species in the family Oleaceae, native to warm temperate and tropical regions of the Middle East, southern Europe, Africa, southern Asia, and Australasia. They are evergreen trees and shrubs, with small, oppo ...

'' Wall. ex G.Don - India # ''

Olea woodiana ''Olea woodiana'', known commonly as the forest olive or black ironwood (Afrikaans: ''Bosolienhout''), is an African tree species belonging to the olive family (Oleaceae). The tree grows in lower altitude hill forests from Kenya, Tanzania, Esw ...

'' Knobl. - South Africa, Swaziland, Kenya, Tanzania # '' Olea yuennanensis'' Hand.-Mazz. - China

Formerly placed here

*''

Chionanthus foveolatus ''Chionanthus foveolatus'', commonly known as the pock ironwood or bastard ironwood, is a medium-sized, evergreen, Afromontane tree that is native to South Africa, Eswatini and Malawi. ''Chionanthus foveolatus'' occurs at medium to high altitude ...

'' (E.Mey.) Stearn (as ''O. foveolata'' E.Mey.) * ''Ligustrum compactum'' var. ''compactum'' (as ''O. compacta'' Wall. ex G.Don) *''

Nestegis cunninghamii ''Nestegis cunninghamii'', commonly called black maire is a native tree of New Zealand. ''Nestegis cunninghamii'' grows to over 20 metres high, and has long, leathery leaves that have a recessed mid-rib. The tree has rough, cork-like bark, and p ...

'' (Hook.f.) L.A.S.Johnson (as ''O. cunninghamii'' Hook.f.) *''

Noronhia emarginata ''Noronhia emarginata'' (Madagascar olive; syn. ''Olea emarginata'' Lam.) is a species of ''Noronhia'' native to Madagascar, now naturalized on Mauritius, Réunion and Bermuda.Madagascar Catalogue''Noronhia emarginata''/ref> It is an evergreen ...

'' (Lam.) Thouars (as ''O. emarginata'' Lam.) *''

Osmanthus americanus ''Cartrema americana'', commonly called American olive, wild olive, or devilwood, is an evergreen shrub or small tree native to southeastern North America, in the United States from Virginia to Texas, and in Mexico from Nuevo León south to Oax ...

'' (L.) Benth. & Hook.f. ex A.Gray (as ''O. americana'' L.) *''

Osmanthus heterophyllus ''Osmanthus heterophyllus'' (Chinese: t , s , p ''zhōngshù''; ja, , ''Hiiragi''), variously known as holly osmanthus, holly olive, and false holly, is a species of flowering plant in the olive family Oleaceae, native to east ...

'' (G. Don) P.S.Green (as ''O. aquifolium'' Siebold & Zucc. or ''O. ilicifolia'' Siebold ex Hassk.) : List source :

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q296910 Oleaceae genera