IT IS OFTEN DESIRABLE to prevent fruit formation on many ornamental plants to eliminate a hazard or a nuisance created by the ripe fruit. The fruits of olive (Olea europaea L.) and Victorian box (Pittosporum undulatum Vent.) are messy and unsightly, they stain concrete and other surfaces, and can cause people to slip. The long-term solution has been to introduce and use fruitless cultivars or male plants. This, however, does not eliminate the need for other control methods because many cultivars which set fruit can usually be found in the neighborhood.

These experiments were conducted at the San Gabriel Nursery, San Gabriel and at the Keeline-Wilcox Nurseries, Inc., East Irvine.