Olax is a plant genus in the family Olacaceae. It includes 52 species native to the tropics of South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia. The name derives from the Latin, olax (malodorous), and refers to the unpleasant scent of some of the Olax species. Olax is an Old World genus represented by several climbers, some species have leaves and fruits smelling of garlic such as Olax subscorpioidea and Olax gambecola, seeds of the latter are used as condiments in parts of West Africa. In India Olax nana is well known as one of the first species to emerge after forest fires, the shoots growing directly from buried roots.

Species

The type species is O. zeylanica. According to Plants of the World Online the genus contains the following 52 species:

1. Olax acuminata

2. Olax angulata

3. Olax angustifolia

4. Olax antsiranensis

5. Olax aphylla

6. Olax aschersoniana

7. Olax aurantia

8. Olax austrosinensis

9. Olax benthamiana

10. Olax candida

11. Olax capuronii

12. Olax crassa

13. Olax cyanocarpa

14. Olax dissitiflora

15. Olax egleri

16. Olax emirnensis

17. Olax gambecola

18. Olax gardneriana

19. Olax gossweileri

20. Olax guianensis

21. Olax hypoleuca

22. Olax imbricata

23. Olax inopiflora

24. Olax lanceolata

25. Olax latifolia

26. Olax macrophylla

27. Olax madagascariensis

28. Olax mannii

29. Olax mayottensis

30. Olax nana

31. Olax obcordata

32. Olax obtusifolia

33. Olax papillosa

34. Olax pauciflora

35. Olax pendula

36. Olax pentandra

37. Olax phyllanthi

38. Olax psittacorum

39. Olax redmondii

40. Olax retusa

41. Olax scalariformis

42. Olax scandens

43. Olax singularis

44. Olax spartea

45. Olax staudtii

46. Olax stricta

47. Olax subscorpioidea

48. Olax tepuiensis

49. Olax thouarsii

50. Olax triplinervia

51. Olax wildemanii

52. Olax zeylanica

Gallery

References