Chionanthus ramiflorus
Chionanthus ramiflorus (syn. Linociera ramiflora (Roxb.) Wall.), commonly known as northern olive or native olive, is a species of shrubs and trees, of the flowering plant family Oleaceae. They grow naturally in India, Nepal, northeastern Australia (Queensland), New Guinea, the Philippines, southern China and Taiwan.[2][3][1]
| Chionanthus ramiflorus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Flowers and leaves | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Oleaceae |
| Genus: | Chionanthus |
| Species: | C. ramiflorus |
| Binomial name | |
| Chionanthus ramiflorus | |
They grow as evergreen shrubs or trees to 3–23 m (10–75 ft) tall. The leaves are 8–20 cm (3–8 in) long and 4–7 cm (1.6–2.8 in) broad, simple ovate to oblong-elliptic, with a 2–5 cm (0.8–2.0 in) petiole. The flowers are white or yellow, produced in panicles 2.5–12 cm (1.0–4.7 in) long. The fruit is a blue-black drupe 1.5–3 cm (0.6–1.2 in) long and 0.5–2.2 cm (0.2–0.9 in) diameter.[2][4]
Sometimes the species is treated in the segregate genus Linociera, though this does not differ from Chionanthus in any character other than leaf persistence, not a taxonomically significant character.[5]
The 1889 book 'The Useful Native Plants of Australia' records that "The fruit of this plant is the food of the jagged-tailed bower-bird (Preonodura Neivtoniana). (Bailey.) This observation is interesting, and is the more valuable in that the vegetable foods of our indigenous fauna have very rarely been botanically determined. This plant is not endemic to Australia. Queensland."[6]
References
- World Conservation Monitoring Centre (1998). "Linociera ramiflora". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 1998: e.T33349A9778972. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.1998.RLTS.T33349A9778972.en. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
- Chang et al. (2008) Flora of China. Online "Chionanthus ramiflorus". Retrieved 26 June 2013.
- "Chionanthus ramiflorus Roxb.". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
- F.A.Zich; B.P.M.Hyland; T.Whiffen; R.A.Kerrigan (2020). "Chionanthus ramiflorus". Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants Edition 8 (RFK8). Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR), Australian Government. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
- Chang et al. (2008) Flora of China. Online "Chionanthus". Retrieved 26 June 2013.
- J. H. Maiden (1889). The useful native plants of Australia: Including Tasmania. Turner and Henderson, Sydney.
Cited works
- Chang, Mei-chen; Chiu, Lien-ching; Wei, Zhi; Green, Peter S. (2008) [1992]. "Oleaceae; Chionanthus ramiflorus". In Wu, Z. Y.; Raven, P. H. (eds.). Flora of China. Vol. 15 (Myrsinaceae through Loganiaceae). Beijing and St. Louis, MO: Science Press and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Retrieved 26 June 2013 – via eFloras.