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Forestiera neomexicana

Common name:	Wild Olive	Family:	Oleaceae
Author:	A.Gray.	Botanical references:	11, 71, 200
Synonyms:	Forestiera pubescens glabrifolia (Shinners.), Adelia neo-mexicana ((A.Gray.)Kuntze.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	South-western N. America - Texas to New Mexico, west to California.
Habitat:	Dry slopes and ridges below 2000 metres[71].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	3	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	F. acuminata var. parviflora[B,P] F. neo-mexicana[HORTIPLEX] F. neomexicana var. arizonica[B,P] F. pubescens ssp. neomexicana[B,P] F. pubescens var. glabrifolia[B,P] F. pubescens var. neomexicana[B,P] F. pubescens var. pubescens[B,P] F. sphaerocarpa[B,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Stretchberry [P],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	cana = grayed due to hairs;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Scrophulariales. Olive family

Physical Characteristics

A decidious shrub growing to 3m. It is hardy to zone 6. It is in flower from April to May, and the seeds ripen from July to September. The flowers are monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant). We rate it 3/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires dry or moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade.

Edible Uses

Fruit.

Fruit[105, 257]. Although only 4 - 8mm long[227], it has been suggested as a substitute for the true olive, Olea europaea[105, 177, 183].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

Miscellany.

Plants growing in the wild are used as indicators of underground water[257].

Cultivation details

Succeeds in most soils[1, 11, 182]. Requires a sunny position and a well-drained soil[200]. Tolerates dry sites[200].
Flowers are produced in the axils of the previous years leaves[227]. Plants do not fruit well in Britain, probably due to a lack of sunshine[11].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame[200]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame[11, 200]. Easy.
Cuttings of mature wood, November to February in a frame or sheltered outdoor bed.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for Forestiera neo-mexicana (a possible synonym).

[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Forestiera pubescens var. glabrifolia (a possible synonym).

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for Forestiera pubescens var. pubescens (a possible synonym).

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for the family Oleaceae.

[CHINA] Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[71] Munz. A California Flora. University of California Press 1959
An excellent flora but no pictures. Not for the casual reader.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[182] Thomas. G. S. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray 1992 ISBN 0-7195-5043-2
Contains a wide range of plants with a brief description, mainly of their ornamental value but also usually of cultivation details and varieties.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[227] Vines. R.A. Trees of North Texas University of Texas Press. 1982 ISBN 0292780206
A readable guide to the area, it contains descriptions of the plants and their habitats with quite a bit of information on plant uses.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
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