Yun nan mu xi lan
Olea tsoongii

Family: Oleaceae

What it is like

A shrub or small tree. It grows 3-15 m high. The leaf stalk is 3-10 mm long and finely hairy. The leaf blade is oval or oblong. It is 4-9 cm long by 2-3 cm wide. It is leathery. There can be fine teeth along the edge. There are 5-7 veins on each side of the midrib. The flowers are in the axils of leaves. They form a panicle 2-10 cm long. The flowers can be white, yellow or red. The fruit is fleshy with a hard covering over the seed. It is purple black and oval. It is 6-13 mm long by 3-9 mm wide.

There are over 40 Olea species.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in forests and thickets between 800-2300 m altitude in S China. In Sichuan and Yunnan.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, China

How it is used for food

The oil is used in food.

Edible parts

Seeds - oil

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Ligustrum tsoongii Merrill; Olea brevipes L.C.Chia; Olea yuennanensis Handel-Mazzetti; Olea yuennanensis var. xeromorpha Handel-Mazzetti;