the olive family, belonging to the order Lamiales and named for the economically important olive tree (species Olea europaea). A number of plants in the family are of economic or aesthetic importance: the olive tree is the source of olives and olive oil; the ashes (genus Fraxinus) are noted for their hardwood timber; and many genera are famous for their horticultural merit-e.g., Syringa (lilacs), Jasminum (jasmines), Ligustrum (privets), Forsythia (golden bell), and Osmanthus (tea olive).