View source for Biology:Olea

{{Short description|Genus of flowering plants}}
{{Automatic taxobox
|image = Olive-tree-fruit-august-0.jpg
|image_caption = ''Olea europaea'' (Olive), [[Place:Lisbon|Lisbon]], Portugal
|display_parents = 2
|taxon = Olea
|synonyms = 
*''Enaimon'' <small>Raf. (1838)</small>
*''Leuranthus'' <small>Knobl. (1934)</small>
*''Steganthus'' <small>Knobl. (1934)</small>
*''Stereoderma'' <small>Blume (1828)</small>
|synonyms_ref = <ref name=powo>[https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:328104-2 ''Olea'' L.] ''[[Biology:Plants of the World Online|Plants of the World Online]]''. Retrieved 28 November 2023.</ref>
}}

'''''Olea''''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|oʊ|l|i|ə}} {{respell|OH|lee|ə}}<ref>{{cite book|title=Sunset Western Garden Book|year=1995|pages=606–607}}</ref>) is a [[Biology:Genus|genus]] of [[Biology:Flowering plant|flowering plant]]s in the family [[Biology:Oleaceae|Oleaceae]]. It includes 12 species native to warm temperate and tropical regions of the Middle East, southern [[Earth:Europe|Europe]], [[Earth:Africa|Africa]], southern [[Earth:Asia|Asia]], and [[Place:Australasia|Australasia]].<ref name = powo/> They are [[Biology:Evergreen|evergreen]] [[Earth:Tree|tree]]s and [[Biology:Shrub|shrub]]s, with small, opposite, entire [[Biology:Leaf|leaves]]. The [[Biology:Fruit|fruit]] is a [[Biology:Drupe|drupe]]. Leaves of ''Olea'' contain trichosclereids.<ref>[http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=122774 Flora of China v 15 p 295, <big>木犀榄属</big> mu xi lan shu, ''Olea'' Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 7. 1753. ]</ref>

For humans, the most important and familiar species is by far the [[Biology:Olive|olive]] (''Olea europaea''), native to the Mediterranean region, Africa, southwest Asia, and the Himalayas,<ref>[http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/namedetail.do?name_id=355112 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, ''Olea europaea'' L.]</ref><ref>[http://luirig.altervista.org/flora/taxa/index1.php?scientific-name=olea+europaea Altevista Flora Italiana, Oleastro, ''Olea europaea'' L. ]</ref> which is the [[Biology:Type species|type species]] of the genus. The [[Biology:Olea paniculata|native olive]] (''O. paniculata'') is a larger tree, attaining a height of 15–18 m in the forests of Queensland, and yielding a hard and tough timber. The yet harder wood of the [[Biology:Olea capensis|black ironwood]] ''O. capensis'', an inhabitant of Natal, is important in South Africa.{{citation needed|date=February 2022}}

''Olea'' species are used as food plants by the [[Biology:Larva|larva]]e of some [[Biology:Lepidoptera|Lepidoptera]] species including [[Biology:Double-striped pug|double-striped pug]]. {{citation needed|date=February 2022}}

==Species==
12 species are currently accepted:<ref name = powo/>
# ''[[Biology:Olea capensis|Olea capensis]]'' <small>L.</small> – Small Ironwood – Comoros, Madagascar; Africa from South Africa north to Ethiopia, Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, etc.
# ''Olea capitellata'' <small>Ridl.</small> – Pahang
# ''[[Biology:Olea chimanimani|Olea chimanimani]]'' <small>Kupicha</small> – Chimanimani Mountains of Mozambique and Zimbabwe
# ''[[Biology:Olea europaea|Olea europaea]]'' <small>L.</small> – Olive – Mediterranean, Africa, southwestern Asia, Himalayas; naturalized many other places
# ''Olea exasperata'' <small>Jacq.</small> – South Africa
# ''[[Biology:Olea lancea|Olea lancea]]'' <small>Lam.</small> – Madagascar, Mauritius, Réunion, Rodrigues Island
# ''Olea luzonica'' <small>Kiew </small> – Philippines (Luzon)
# ''[[Biology:Olea paniculata|Olea paniculata]]'' <small>R.Br.</small> – Yunnan, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Kashmir, Malaysia, Nepal, New Guinea, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Australia, New Caledonia, Vanuatu
# ''Olea puberula'' <small>Ridl.</small> – Peninsular Malaysia
# ''Olea schliebenii'' <small>Knobl.</small> – Tanzania 
# ''[[Biology:Olea welwitschii|Olea welwitschii]]'' <small>(Knobl.) Gilg & G.Schellenb.</small> – central and eastern Africa from Ethiopia to Zimbabwe
# ''[[Biology:Olea woodiana|Olea woodiana]]'' <small>Knobl.</small> – South Africa, Eswatini, Kenya, Tanzania
 
===Formerly placed here===
*''[[Biology:Chionanthus foveolatus|Chionanthus foveolatus]]'' <small>(E.Mey.) Stearn</small> (as ''O. foveolata'' <small>E.Mey.</small>)
*''Ligustrum compactum'' var. ''compactum'' (as ''O. compacta'' <small>Wall. ex G.Don</small>)
*''[[Biology:Nestegis cunninghamii|Nestegis cunninghamii]]'' <small>(Hook.f.) L.A.S.Johnson</small> (as ''O. cunninghamii'' <small>Hook.f.</small>)
*''[[Biology:Noronhia emarginata|Noronhia emarginata]]'' <small>(Lam.) Thouars</small> (as ''O. emarginata'' <small>Lam.</small>)
*''[[Biology:Osmanthus americanus|Osmanthus americanus]]'' <small>(L.) Benth. & Hook.f. ex A.Gray</small> (as ''O. americana'' <small>L.</small>)
*''[[Biology:Osmanthus heterophyllus|Osmanthus heterophyllus]]'' <small>(G. Don) P.S.Green</small> (as ''O. aquifolium'' <small>Siebold & Zucc.</small> or ''O. ilicifolia'' <small>Siebold ex Hassk.</small>)
* ''Tetrapilus borneensis'' {{small|(Boerl.) de Juana}} (as ''Olea borneensis'' <small>Boerl.</small>)
* ''Tetrapilus brachiatus'' {{small|Lour.}} (as ''Olea brachiata'' <small>(Lour.) Merr.</small>)
* ''Tetrapilus rubrovenius'' {{small|(Elmer) L.A.S.Johnson}} (as ''Olea rubrovenia'' <small>(Elmer) Kiew</small>)
* ''Tetrapilus tsoongii'' {{small|(Merr.) de Juana}} (as ''Olea tsoongii'' <small>(Merr.) P.S.Green</small> and ''Olea yuennanensis'' <small>Hand.-Mazz.</small>)

: List source :<ref name=grin2>{{ cite web |url=http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/splist.pl?8414 |title=Species in GRIN for genus ''Olea'' |author=GRIN |work=Taxonomy for Plants |publisher=USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program |location=National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland |access-date=May 20, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924124109/http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/splist.pl?8414 |archive-date=September 24, 2015 }}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q296910}}

[[Category:Olea| ]]
[[Category:Oleaceae genera]]

{{Sourceattribution|Olea}}