Oleaceae, also known as the olive family, is a taxonomic

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

of flowering shrubs,

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 a few lianas in the

order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...

Lamiales, It presently comprises 28 genera, one of which is recently extinct.Peter S. Green. 2004. "Oleaceae". pages 296-306. In: Klaus Kubitzki (editor) and Joachim W. Kadereit (volume editor). ''The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants'' volume VII. Springer-Verlag: Berlin; Heidelberg, Germany. The extant genera include ''Cartrema'', which was resurrected in 2012. The number of species in the Oleaceae is variously estimated in a wide range around 700. The flowers are often numerous and highly odoriferous.Vernon H. Heywood, Richard K. Brummitt, Ole Seberg, and Alastair Culham. ''Flowering Plant Families of the World''. Firefly Books: Ontario, Canada. . The family has a sub cosmopolitan distribution, ranging from the subarctic to the southernmost parts of Africa, Australia, and South America. Notable members include

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'' ...

, ash,

jasmine Jasmine ( taxonomic name: ''Jasminum''; , ) is a genus of shrubs and vines in the olive family ( Oleaceae). It contains around 200 species native to tropical and warm temperate regions of Eurasia, Africa, and Oceania. Jasmines are widely cult ...

, and several popular ornamental plants including

privet A privet is a flowering plant in the genus ''Ligustrum''. The genus contains about 50 species of erect, deciduous or evergreen shrubs, sometimes forming small or medium-sized trees, native to Europe, north Africa, Asia, many introduced and nat ...

forsythia ''Forsythia'' , is a genus of flowering plants in the olive family Oleaceae. There are about 11 species, mostly native to eastern Asia, but one native to southeastern Europe. ''Forsythia'' – also one of the plant's common names – i ...

, fringetrees, and lilac.

Anthony Huxley Anthony Julian Huxley (2 December 1920 – 26 December 1992) was a British botanist. He edited ''Amateur Gardening'' from 1967 to 1971, and was vice-president of the Royal Horticultural Society in 1991. He was the son of Julian Huxley. He was ...

, Mark Griffiths, and Margot Levy (1992). ''The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening''. The Macmillan Press,Limited: London. The Stockton Press: New York. (set).

Genera

The following 27 extant genera are recognized in the family Oleaceae. ''Linociera'' is not included, even though some authors continue to recognize it. ''Linociera'' is not easy to distinguish from ''Chionanthus'', mostly because the latter is

polyphyletic A polyphyletic group is an assemblage of organisms or other evolving elements that is of mixed evolutionary origin. The term is often applied to groups that share similar features known as homoplasies, which are explained as a result of conver ...

and not clearly defined. *Tribe

Myxopyreae Myxopyreae is a tribe of flowering plants in the olive family, Oleaceae. Genera * '' Dimetra'' Kerr * ''Myxopyrum'' Blume * ''Nyctanthes ''Nyctanthes'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Oleaceae, native to southeastern Asia. It i ...

** ''

Myxopyrum ''Myxopyrum'' is a plant genus native to India, southern China, Southeast Asia and New Guinea. There are at present () 4 recognized species: *'' Myxopyrum nervosum'' Blume - Borneo, Java, Malaysia, Maluku, Sulawesi, Sumatra, New Guinea ** subsp ...

'' Blume ** '' Dimetra'' Kerr ** ''

Nyctanthes ''Nyctanthes'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Oleaceae, native to southeastern Asia. It is currently accepted as containing two species; other species previously included in this genus have been transferred to other genera, most of ...

'' L. *Tribe

Forsythieae Forsythieae is a tribe of flowering plants in the olive family, Oleaceae. Genera * '' Abeliophyllum'' Nakai * ''Forsythia ''Forsythia'' , is a genus of flowering plants in the olive family Oleaceae. There are about 11 species, mostly nati ...

** ''

Abeliophyllum ''Abeliophyllum'', the miseonnamu, Korean abeliophyllum, white forsythia, or Korean abelialeaf, is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the olive family, Oleaceae. It consists of one species, ''Abeliophyllum distichum'' , endemic to Korea, wh ...

'' Nakai – white forsythia ** ''

Forsythia ''Forsythia'' , is a genus of flowering plants in the olive family Oleaceae. There are about 11 species, mostly native to eastern Asia, but one native to southeastern Europe. ''Forsythia'' – also one of the plant's common names – i ...

'' Vahl – forsythia *Tribe

Fontanesieae ''Fontanesia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Oleaceae, usually treated as comprising a single species ''Fontanesia phillyreoides'', though some authors split this into two species (see below). It is native to southern Europe (Sicil ...

** '' Fontanesia'' Labill. *Tribe Jasmineae ** ''

Chrysojasminum ''Chrysojasminum'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Oleaceae. Its native range is Macaronesia, Mediterranean to Central China and Sri Lanka, Ethiopia to Zambia. Species: *''Chrysojasminum bignoniaceum'' *''Chrysojasminum ...

'' Banfi ** '' Menodora''

Humb. Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt (14 September 17696 May 1859) was a German polymath, geographer, naturalist, explorer, and proponent of Romantic philosophy and science. He was the younger brother of the Prussian minister, p ...

& Bonpl. ** '' Jasminum'' L. – jasmine *Tribe

Oleeae Oleeae is a tribe of flowering plants in 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 Basi ...

**Subtribe Ligustrinae *** '' Syringa'' L. – lilac *** '' Ligustrum'' L. – privet **Subtribe Schreberinae *** ''

Comoranthus ''Comoranthus''Emil Friedrich Knoblauch. 1934. Notizblatt des Botanischen Gartens und Museums zu Berlin-Dahlem 11: 1032. is a plant genus native to Madagascar and the Comoro Islands. It contains 3 species:Knobl. *** ''

Schrebera ''Schrebera'' is a genus of plant in the family Oleaceae found in Peru, tropical and southern Africa, India and Southeast Asia. the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families recognises 8 species:Search for "Schrebera", * '' Schrebera alata'' ...

'' Roxb. **Subtribe

Fraxininae ''Fraxinus'' (), commonly called ash, is a genus of flowering plants in the olive and lilac family, Oleaceae. It contains 45–65 species of usually medium to large trees, mostly deciduous, though a number of subtropical species are evergreen ...

*** '' Fraxinus'' L. – ash **Subtribe Oleinae *** '' Cartrema'' Raf. *** '' Chionanthus'' L. – fringe tree *** ''

Forestiera ''Forestiera'' is a genus of flowering plants in the olive family, Oleaceae. Members of the genus are often called swampprivets.Poir. Jean Louis Marie Poiret (11 June 1755 in Saint-Quentin7 April 1834 in Paris) was a French clergyman, botanist, and explorer. From 1785 to 1786, he was sent by Louis XVI to Algeria to study the flora. After the French Revolution, he became ...

– swamp privet *** ''

Haenianthus ''Haenianthus'' is a genus of plants native to the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean. It contains 3 species: # '' Haenianthus incrassatus'' (Sw.) Griseb. - Jamaica # '' Haenianthus salicifolius'' Griseb. - Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico # '' Ha ...

'' Griseb. *** '' Hesperelaea'' A.Gray *** '' Nestegis'' Raf. *** '' Noronhia'' Stadman ex Thouars *** '' Notelaea'' Vent. *** '' Olea'' L. – olive *** '' Osmanthus'' Lour. – osmanthus *** '' Phillyrea'' L. – mock-privet *** '' Picconia'' D.C. *** '' Priogymnanthus''

P.S.Green Peter Shaw Green (11 September 1920–17 August 2009) was an English botanist. Early life Green was born in Rochester, Kent, the youngest son of John and Elizabeth (née Hainsworth) Green, his father a civilian engineer with the Royal Air For ...

Overview

The

type Type may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Typing, producing text via a keyboard, typewriter, etc. * Data type, collection of values used for computations. * File type * TYPE (DOS command), a command to display contents of a file. * Ty ...

genus for Oleaceae is ''Olea'', the olives. Recent classifications recognize no subfamilies, but the family is divided into five

tribes The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to confl ...

. The distinctiveness of each tribe has been strongly supported in

molecular phylogenetic Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...

studies, but the relationships among the tribes were not clarified until 2014. The phylogenetic tree for Oleaceae is a 5- grade that can be represented as . The major

centers of diversity A center of origin is a geographical area where a group of organisms, either domesticated or wild, first developed its distinctive properties. They are also considered centers of diversity. Centers of origin were first identified in 1924 by Ni ...

for Oleaceae are in Southeast Asia and Australia.Armen L. Takhtajan (Takhtadzhian).
Flowering Plants
' second edition (2009). Springer Science+Business Media. (print) (eBook). There are also a significant number of species in Africa, China,Mei-chen Chang, Lien-ching Chiu, Zhi Wei, and Peter S. Green. 1996.
Oleaceae
pages 272-319. In: Wu Zhengyi, Peter H. Raven, and Hong Deyuan (editors). 1994 onward. ''Flora of China'' vol. 15: Myrsinaceae – Loganiaceae. Science Press: Beijing, China; and Missouri Botanical Garden Press: St. Louis, MO, USA. (vol. 15) (set). and North America. In the

tropics The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred ...

the family is represented in a variety of

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s, from low-lying dry forest to

montane Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial ...

cloud forest. In Oleaceae, the

seed dispersal In Spermatophyte plants, seed dispersal is the movement, spread or transport of seeds away from the parent plant. Plants have limited mobility and rely upon a variety of dispersal vectors to transport their seeds, including both abiotic vecto ...

is almost entirely by wind or

animals Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the Kingdom (biology), biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals Heterotroph, consume organic material, Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration, breathe oxygen, are Motilit ...

. In the case that the fruit is a berry, the species is mostly dispersed by

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...

s. The wind-dispersed fruits are samaras. Some of the older works have recognized as many as 29 genera in Oleaceae.Flora ornamental española, VI (Araliaceae – Boraginaceae)
2010. Today, most authors recognize at least 25, but this number will change because some of these genera have recently been shown to be polyphyletic. Estimates of the number of species in Oleaceae have ranged from 600 to 900. Most of the species number discrepancy is due to the genus ''Jasminum'' in which as few as 200Peter S. Green and Diana Miller. 2009. ''The Genus ''Jasminum'' in Cultivation''. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. . or as many as 450David J. Mabberley. 2008.
Mabberley's Plant-Book
' third edition (2008). Cambridge University Press: UK. . species have been accepted. In spite of the sparsity of the

fossil record A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

, and the inaccuracy of molecular-clock dating, it is clear that Oleaceae is an ancient family that became widely distributed early in its history. Some of the genera are believed to be relictual populations that remained unchanged over long periods because of isolation imposed by geographical barriers like the low-elevation areas that separate mountain peaks.

Description

Members of the family Oleaceae are woody plants, mostly

s and shrubs; a few are lianas. Some of the shrubs are scandent, climbing by scrambling into other vegetation. Leaves without

stipule In botany, a stipule is an outgrowth typically borne on both sides (sometimes on just one side) of the base of a leafstalk (the petiole). Stipules are considered part of the anatomy of the leaf of a typical flowering plant, although in many speci ...

s; simple or pinnately or ternately compound. The family is characterized by opposite leaves. Alternate or whorled arrangements are rarely observed, with some '' Jasminum'' species presenting a spiral configuration. The laminas are pinnately veined and can be serrate, dentate or entire at the margin.

Domatia A domatium (plural: domatia, from the Latin "domus", meaning home) is a tiny chamber that houses arthropods, produced by a plant. Ideally domatia differ from galls in that they are produced by the plant rather than being induced by their inhabi ...

are observed in certain taxa. The leaves may be either deciduous or evergreen, with evergreen species predominating in warm

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...

and

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

regions, and deciduous species predominating in colder regions. The

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism ...

s are most often bisexual and actinomorphic, occurring in

raceme A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the sh ...

s or

panicle A panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is ...

s, and often fragrant. The

calyx Calyx or calyce (plural "calyces"), from the Latin ''calix'' which itself comes from the Ancient Greek ''κάλυξ'' (''kálux'') meaning "husk" or "pod", may refer to: Biology * Calyx (anatomy), collective name for several cup-like structures ...

and

corolla Corolla may refer to: *Corolla (botany), the petals of a flower, considered as a unit *Toyota Corolla, an automobile model name * Corolla (headgear), an ancient headdress in the form of a circlet or crown * ''Corolla'' (gastropod), a genus of moll ...

, when present, are gamosepalous and gamopetalous, respectively, their lobes connate, at least at the base. The

androecium The stamen ( plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the fila ...

has 2

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filam ...

s. These are inserted on the corolla tube and alternate with the corolla lobes. The stigmas are two-lobed. The

gynoecium Gynoecium (; ) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl of a flower; it consists of (one or more) '' pistil ...

consists of a compound pistil with two

carpel Gynoecium (; ) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl of a flower; it consists of (one or more) '' pistils' ...

s. The ovary is

superior Superior may refer to: *Superior (hierarchy), something which is higher in a hierarchical structure of any kind Places *Superior (proposed U.S. state), an unsuccessful proposal for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to form a separate state *Lake ...

with two

locule A locule (plural locules) or loculus (plural loculi) (meaning "little place" in Latin) is a small cavity or compartment within an organ or part of an organism (animal, plant, or fungus). In angiosperms (flowering plants), the term ''locule'' usu ...

s. The

placentation Placentation refers to the formation, type and structure, or arrangement of the placenta. The function of placentation is to transfer nutrients, respiratory gases, and water from maternal tissue to a growing embryo, and in some instances to remov ...

is axile.

Ovule In seed plants, the ovule is the structure that gives rise to and contains the female reproductive cells. It consists of three parts: the '' integument'', forming its outer layer, the ''nucellus'' (or remnant of the megasporangium), and the f ...

s usually 2 per locule; sometimes 4, rarely many. Nectary disk, when present, encircling the base of the ovary. The plants are most often

hermaphrodite In reproductive biology, a hermaphrodite () is an organism that has both kinds of reproductive organs and can produce both gametes associated with male and female sexes. Many taxonomic groups of animals (mostly invertebrates) do not have ...

but sometimes polygamomonoecious. The fruit can be a

berry A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, rasp ...

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 (''kerne ...

, capsule or samaras. The obvious feature that distinguishes Oleaceae and its sister family, Carlemanniaceae, from all others, is the fact that while the flowers are actinomorphic, the number of stamens is reduced to two. Many members of the family are economically significant. The

(''Olea europaea'') is important for its fruit and for the

olive oil Olive oil is a liquid fat obtained from olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea''; family Oleaceae), a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin, produced by pressing whole olives and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking: ...

extracted from it. The

ashes Ashes may refer to: *Ash, the solid remnants of fires. Media and entertainment Art * ''Ashes'' (Munch), an 1894 painting by Edvard Munch Film * ''The Ashes'' (film), a 1965 Polish film by director Andrzej Wajda * ''Ashes'' (1922 film), a ...

(''Fraxinus'') are valued for their tough wood.

s, lilacs,

s, osmanthuses,

s, and fringe trees are valued as ornamental plants in gardens and

landscaping Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an area of land, including the following: # Living elements, such as flora or fauna; or what is commonly called gardening, the art and craft of growing plants with a goal ...

. At least two species of jasmine are the source of an essential oil. Their flowers are often added to tea.

History

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, ...

named eight of the genera of Oleaceae in 1753 in his

Species Plantarum ' (Latin for "The Species of Plants") is a book by Carl Linnaeus, originally published in 1753, which lists every species of plant known at the time, classified into genera. It is the first work to consistently apply binomial names and was the ...

. He did not designate what we now know as plant families, but placed his genera in artificial groups for purposes of identification. After the work of Linnaeus, names for groups that included the genera of Oleaceae were used, but none of them was a

valid publication In botanical nomenclature, a validly published name is a name that meets the requirements in the ''International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants'' for valid publication. Valid publication of a name represents the minimum require ...

of the family name Oleaceae. For example, Antoine Laurent de Jussieu, in his '' Genera Plantarum'' in 1789, placed them in an order which he called "Jasmineae". In 1809, in a flora of Portugal, Johann Centurius Hoffmannsegg and Johann H.F. Link described at the taxonomic rank of family a group which they called "Oleinae". Their description is now regarded as the establishment of what we now know as Oleaceae.James L. Reveal. 2008 onward.
A Checklist of Family and Suprafamilial Names for Extant Vascular Plants
" At: Home page of James L. Reveal and C. Rose Broome. The last revision of Oleaceae was published in 2004 in a series entitled '' The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants''. Since that time, molecular phylogenetic work has shown that the next revision of Oleaceae must include substantial changes to the circumscription of genera.

Classification

Oleaceae is most closely related to the small Indo-Malesian family Carlemanniaceae. These two families form the second most

basal Basal or basilar is a term meaning ''base'', ''bottom'', or ''minimum''. Science * Basal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location for features associated with the base of an organism or structure * Basal (medicine), a minimal level that is nec ...

clade in the

Lamiales, after

Plocospermataceae ''Plocosperma'' is the sole genus in the Plocospermataceae,Stevens, P.F. (2001 onwards)Plocospermataceae ''Angiosperm Phylogeny Website'', retrieved 2013-08-15 a family of flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fru ...

.Peter F. Stevens (2001 onwards).
Oleaceae
At: Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. At: Botanical Databases At:

Missouri Botanical Garden The Missouri Botanical Garden is a botanical garden located at 4344 Shaw Boulevard in St. Louis, Missouri. It is also known informally as Shaw's Garden for founder and philanthropist Henry Shaw. Its herbarium, with more than 6.6 million ...

Website. The families Plocospermataceae, Carlemanniaceae, Oleaceae, and Tetrachondraceae form a

group known as the "basal Lamiales", which is in contrast to the

monophyletic In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic ...

"core Lamiales".

Taxonomy

Oleaceae is one of only a few major plant families for which no well-sampled molecular phylogenetic study has ever been conducted. The only DNA sequence study of the entire family sampled 76 species for two noncoding

chloroplast A chloroplast () is a type of membrane-bound organelle known as a plastid that conducts photosynthesis mostly in plant and algal cells. The photosynthetic pigment chlorophyll captures the energy from sunlight, converts it, and stores it ...

loci, ''rps16'' and ''trnL–F''. Little was determined in this study, largely because the mutation rate in the chloroplast genome of Oleaceae is very low compared to that of most other angiosperm families. Also, the family is notorious for incongruence between phylogenies based on plastid and

nuclear DNA Nuclear DNA (nDNA), or nuclear deoxyribonucleic acid, is the DNA contained within each cell nucleus of a eukaryotic organism. It encodes for the majority of the genome in eukaryotes, with mitochondrial DNA and plastid DNA coding for the rest. ...

. The most likely cause of this incongruence is reticulate evolution resulting from rampant hybridization. The delimitation of genera in Oleaceae has always been especially problematic. Some recent studies of small groups of related genera have shown that some of the genera are not monophyletic. For example, ''Olea'' section ''Tetrapilus'' is separate from the rest of ''Olea''. It is a distinct group of 23 species and had been named as a genus, ''Tetrapilus'', by

João de Loureiro João de Loureiro (1717, Lisbon – 18 October 1791) was a Portuguese Jesuit missionary and botanist. Biography After receiving admission to the Jesuit Order, João de Loureiro served as a missionary in Goa, capital of Portuguese India ...

in 1790.''Tetrapilus''
in International Plant Names Index. The genus ''Ligustrum'' has long been suspected of having originated from within ''Syringa'', and this was confirmed in a cladistic comparison of selected chloroplast genes. ''Osmanthus'' consists of at least three lineages whose closest relatives are not other lineages of ''Osmanthus''. ''Chionanthus'' is highly polyphyletic, with its species scattered across the phylogenetic tree of the subtribe Oleinae. Its African species are closer to ''Noronhia'' than to its

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( ...

, the North American '' Chionanthus virginicus''. Its Madagascan species are phylogenetically within ''Noronhia'' and will be formally transferred to it in a forthcoming paper. The monophyly of ''Nestegis'' is in considerable doubt, but few of its closest relatives have been sampled in phylogenetic studies.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Lamiales families