Picconia
Credits
Article from New Trees by John Grimshaw & Ross Bayton
Recommended citation
'Picconia' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.
Family
- Oleaceae
There are two species of Picconia, one in the Azores (P. azorica), the other in the Canary Islands and Madeira (P. excelsa). They are evergreen shrubs or small trees with simple, opposite, entire or rarely serrulate leaves. Inflorescences are axillary, decussate racemes with semi-persistent bracts enclosing the flowers. The flowers are hermaphrodite; the calyx small and four-lobed; the corolla also four-lobed, the lobes alternating from the calyx lobes; stamens two. The fruit is a drupe (Green 2004).
Picconia excelsa grows well in coastal southern England and Ireland and is capable of forming large evergreen trees in mild conditions. Both species can be propagated from cuttings, or by seed if available.
