Oleaceae

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  Fraxinus

  1a. Leaf blades pinnately compound with 5–13 (–15) leaflets; corolla absent; fruit a samara
• See list of 4 genera in 1b
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  1b. Leaf blades simple or sometimes pinnately compound with 3 leaflets in Forsythia; corolla present and conspicuous; fruit a drupe or capsule
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    Forsythia

    2a. Flowers precocious, with yellow corollas; leaf blades toothed; branchlets with hollow or chambered pith
  • See list of 3 genera in 2b
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    2b. Flowers not appearing well in advance of leaf emergence, with white or light blue-purple corollas (infrequently red-blue or red-purple); leaf blades entire; branchlets with solid pith
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      Chionanthus

      3a. Corolla not salverform, with elongate lobes that are much longer than the basal, connate portion
    • See list of 2 genera in 3b
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      3b. Corolla salverform, the lobes not conspicuously longer than the basal, connate, tubular portion
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        Syringa

        4a. Fruit a capsule; anthers included within the connate, tubular portion of 
the corolla (exserted in S. reticulata); branchlets relatively stout, usually thicker 
than 2 mm
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        Ligustrum

        4b. Fruit a drupe; anthers shortly exserted from the tubular, connate portion of the corolla [Figs. 735,736]; branchlets slender, usually thinner than 2 mm

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 Show photos of:   Each photo represents one genus in this family.