Phillyrea includes shrubs and small evergreen trees of the family Oleaceae,it is a species of the Mediterranean region.
In Italy is present along the western coasts and islands.
Some species of the Phillyrea can reach the height of 6-7 m (small tree). The leaves are evergreen. The flowers are small and white with four sepals and four petals. The flowers are collected in small clusters. The fruits are black when it is time to ripe them.
According to the Greeks, the gods created this tree by a nymph named Filira: She was so beautiful that Cronos, father of Zeus, fell in love with her. To escape the eye of his wife, Cronos transform himself and Filira into a pair of horses. From their love the centaur Chiron, half man and half horse was born. Filira was so frightened by the monstrous appearance of her son, so she begged the gods to turn him into a tree, and her prayers were accepted
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Notes
Peter Lange, Piante mediterranee ed esotiche. Le specie perenni da fiore e da frutto da coltivare in vaso, Red Edizioni, 2007