New Mexico Olive Family:
Olive (Oleaceae) A straggly, multi-stemmed, shrubby tree growing to 15 feet tall with smooth gray bark and lance-shaped, simple leaves. It can form thickets. The yellow flowers bloom in clusters on the stems before the leaves. Trees are either male or female. The flowers pictured below show the female on the left, the male on the right. Abundant berries are blue-black and an important food source for wildlife. Photos below taken on:
April 16, 2017 | |