Olea exasperata Jacq.

Bushy and straggling shrubs or small umbrella shaped trees, from about 0.75 to 7 m high, rarely taller; branchlets rough with numerous raised lenticels. Leaves with a tendency for the sides to curl downwards as on O. africana, linear-oblong, 4-8.5 cm long, 6-10 mm broad, rarely 1.5 cm broad; broadest in the upper two thirds, narrowing gradually to the base, minutely pitted on both surfaces, especially on lower, midrib raised on lower surface, sometimes also on upper, a few lateral veins sometimes obvious and raised above but disappearing about halfway to the margin, anastomosing seldom seen, but if so loops curved; margin rim reflexed; petiole 4 mm long, rarely 5 mm. Panicles terminal, short, broad, many flowered; buds subglobose; bracts very small, pointed, subpersistent. Calyx short, cupular, glandular, shortly 4-toothed. Corolla with a short tube under 1 mm long; lobes up to 2.75 mm long, margins narrowly infolded. Stamens with filaments almost 1 mm long; anthers large, brownish, about 2 mm long and 2 mm broad, dorsifixed. Ovary narrowing into a short style; stigma 2-lobed forming a conico-globose head; ovules pendulous. Fruit ' black purple ' when ripe, up to 1 cm long and 8 or 9 mm broad, subglobose to oblong-globose.