IAWA Bulletin n.s., Vol. 9 (2),1988,103-182 WOOD ANATOMY OF THE OLEACEAE by Pieter Baas*, Petra M. Esser*, Marijke E. T. van der Westen*, and Marinus Zandee** Contents Summary ...................................................... 104 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 104 Materials and methods ............................................. 106 Phenetic analysis .............................................. 106 Cladistic analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 Survey of wood anatomical character states in the Oleaceae . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 107 Introduction 107 - Growth rings 108 - Vessel grouping and distribution 108 Vessel frequency and element size 110 - Vessel perforations 110 - Vessel wall pit- ting 111- Vessel wall thickness and sculpturing 112 - Tyloses and vessel contents 112 - Vascular tracheids 113 - Fibres 113 - Axial parenchyma 127 - Ray tissue 128 - Crystals 129 Generic wood anatomical descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129 Explanatory note 129 - Abeliophyllwn 129 - Chionanthus (including Linociera) 130 Comoranthus 132-Fontanesia 133-Forestiera 134-Forsythia 135-Fraxinus 135 - Haenianthus 137 - Hesperelaea 137 - Jasminum 138 - Ligustrum 140 Menodora 141- Myxopyrum 142 - Nestegis 142 - Noronhia 143 - Notelaea 143 Nyctanthes 145 - Olea 146 - Osmanthus 149 - Phillyrea 151 - Picconia 152 Schrebera 153 - Syringa 153 - Tessarandra 155 Classification of the Oleaceae . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 156 Phenetic wood anatomical classification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 156 Phylogenetic classification ........................................ 159 The position of Nyctanthes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166 The wider affinities of the Oleaceae . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167 Ecological and functional considerations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 168 A tentative evolutionary scenario for the Oleaceae ........................... 173 Needs for further studies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 174 Keys to the woods of the Oleaceae .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 174 Comprehensive wood anatomical key to the genera of the Oleaceae . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175 Simplified wood anatomical key to the genera of the Oleaceae. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176 Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 177 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177 * Rijksherbarium, P.O. Box 9514, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands. ** Institute of Theoretical Biology, Groenhovenstraat 5, 2311 BT Leiden, The Netherlands.