The Olive (Olea europaea) is a small evergreen tree that grows best in a Mediteranean climate. Spain, Italy, Greece, and other Mediterranean countries are major producers, but olives are also cultivated outside the Mediterranean region in regions with an appropriate climate (e.g., in in California and Argentina). The olive fruit has a skin, a fleshy pulp, and a stony kernel. As the fruit matures, it turns from green to black.

Some archaeological evidence suggests that the Olive may have been domesticated in the eastern Mediterranean region 10,000 years ago. Certainly, this species has been closely associated with human religious, cultural, medical, and food uses for thousands of years. As food, olives are used both for their edible pulp (which contains up to 40% or more oil, in contrast to the kernel, which contains only a small amount of oil) and as the source of olive oil. The oil is monounsaturated, with a high percentage of the fatty acid oleic acid. Olive oil is used as a cooking oil, in salad dressings, and as a food preservative; in some places, such as the United Kingdom, it is used in a spread. Olive oil is also used in cosmetics and in the pharmaceutical industry, among other applications. Olives are cold-pressed and the first pressings, which require no further treatment, are known as "virgin" ("extra virgin" olive oil is virgin oil that has a specified low acidity). The residue left after pressing (pomace) is used in animal feed.

Both green (immature) and black olives are pickled in brine. These olives contain less oil than those used for oil extraction. Prior to pickling, the bittter glycoside oleuropein is often neutralized with caustic soda or another lye solution. During processing, the olives may have their pits removed and sometimes replaced with pimentos, garlic (Allium sativum), or some other filling.

Olive pollen is one of the most important causes of seasonal respiratory allergy in Mediterranean countries. In addition, cases of contact dermatitis and food allergy to the olive fruit and olive oil have been described. (Rodriguez et al. 2001; Esteve et al. 2012)

The Olive Fruit Fly (Bactrocera oleae) is an important economic pest wherever olives are grown (Daane and Johnson 2010). The historical biogeography of this fly, and its evolving relationship with O. europea, have been investigated by Nardi et al. (2010).

Feral Olive trees are significant weeds in Hawaii, Norfolk Island, and Australia (Spenneman and Allen 2000; Cuneo et al. 2010).

(Vaughan and Geissler 1997)

Bole: Straight. Medium. To 20 m. Bark: Dark brown/grey. Hard. Fissured. Slash: Yellow/brown with orange flecks. Woody. Hard. Smells of pombe. Leaf: Simple. Opposite. Petiole: 0.1 - 1.3 cm. Lamina: Small/medium. 1.8 - 9.5 × 0.8 - 2.4 cm. Lanceolate/elliptic. Cuneate. Acute/obtuse/mucronate. Entire. Glabrous. Lower surface densely covered with small circular scales. Domatia: Absent. Glands: Present. Lamina minutely punctate. Stipules: Absent. Thorns & Spines: Absent. Flower: White. Fragrant. Terminal and lateral paniculate cymes. Hermaphrodite. Fruit: Drupe. Ellipsoid 0.5 - 1 cm long.

Shrub or small to medium-sized evergreen tree with a rounded crown. Bark, grey to brown, smooth when young but rough and deeply fissured on older trees; young branches 4-angled. Leaves opposite, linear-lanceolate to narrowly oblong-elliptic, up to c. 10 cm long, grey-green to dark green above, with a silvery to golden-brown layer of scales below; apex with a sharp tip, often curled backwards; margin entire, rolled under. Flowers small, in lax axillary, occasionally terminal, heads, greenish-cream, sweetly scented. Fruit ellipsoid, c. 8 × 10 mm, thinly fleshy with a sharp apical tip, red to purple black when ripe.

europaea: of Europe, referring to the commercial olive; cuspidata: with a sharp, rigid apical point, which could refer to either the leaves or the fruit.

Arabian Peninsula to Iran; China; eastern Africa; Eastern Arc Mountains; India; Mascarenes; northern Tanzania; southern Africa

southern Africa

northern Tanzania

Mascarenes

India

Eastern Arc Mountains

eastern Africa

China

Arabian Peninsula to Iran

Mountainous Southern Sinai (St.Katherine), Isthmic Desert, North Sinai. 

Olea europaea L.:
China (Asia)
India (Asia)
Afghanistan (Asia)
Mexico (Mesoamerica)
United States (North America)
Bolivia (South America)
Pakistan (Asia)
El Salvador (Mesoamerica)
Nepal (Asia)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

(various subspecies) thoughout Africa, Middle East, India to China. Introduced in Australia.

United States

Origin: Exotic

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Unknown/Undetermined

Confidence: Confident

Trees up to 7 m high, greyish-green; bark grey, on branchlets whitish. Leaves lanceolate, sometimes ovate, c. 4 cm long, 1 cm broad, coriaceous; upper surface dark green, with few scales, ventral silvery-whitish due to scaly hairs; petiole 5 mm. Flowers whitish, in terminal or lateral cymes. Calyx truncate or with 4 little teeth. Corolla tube short; lobes 4, 1-2 mm long. Drupe blackish-violet when ripe, ovoid, 1-2 cm in diam.; pulp oily.

Trees or shrubs to 10 m, evergreen. Branchlets angular, along with petiole and leaf blade densely silvery-gray or rusty lepidote. Petiole 2-5 mm; leaf blade narrowly lanceolate to elliptic, rarely narrowly ovate, 1.5-10 × 0.5-2 cm, leathery, glabrous, base cuneate or attenuate, margin entire, apex acute to acuminate and mucronate to cuspidate; primary veins 5-11 on each side of midrib, obscure, somewhat raised adaxially. Panicles axillary or terminal, 2-4 cm. Flowers bisexual or functionally unisexual, subsessile. Calyx 1-1.5 mm. Corolla white, 2.5-4 mm; tube ca. 1 mm; lobes elliptic-oblong, involute, 1.5-3 mm. Drupe ellipsoid or subglobose, 0.7-4 cm. 2n = 46.

Widely cultivated in Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Taiwan, Xizang, Yunnan, Zhejiang. Probably originating in the Mediterranean region or SW Asia.

In Great Britain and/or Ireland:
Foodplant / pathogen
epiphyllous colony of Pseudocercospora dematiaceous anamorph of Pseudocercospora cladosporioides infects and damages leaf of Olea europea

Fl. Per.: April-May. Fruit: September-October.

Perennial

Leaves alter shape to optimize light: olive tree
 

Leaves of olive trees optimize sunlight by changing shape and being flexible to changing conditions.

         
  "1. Canopy plasticity, the expression of different leaf phenotypes  within the crown of an individual tree has complex functional and  evolutionary implications that remain to be thoroughly assessed. We  hypothesized that it can lead to disparity in how leaves in different  positions of the canopy change with allometric growth and population  genetic structure.
 2. Leaf phenotypes of the inner and outer canopy were estimated using  eight morphological and physiological characters…With these data, we  investigated the extent to which leaf phenotypes change with plant size,  genetic processes and in = response to environmental conditions inside  and outside the canopy.
 3. The size of trees measured in the field was clearly associated with  the phenotype of sun [leaves] but not to that of shade leaves. The  phenotype of sun leaves depended on both direct and diffuse light, while  that of shade leaves was found to correlate only with diffuse  radiation. Additionally, light availability inside the canopy was  conditioned by the shape of external leaves, and increasing
 elongation of sun leaves led to higher radiation in the inner canopy.
 4. The field phenotypes of both inner and outer canopy leaves were  correlated with genetic variation among populations. Conversely, in the  common garden, the different genotypes expressed a homogeneous sun  phenotype, while phenotypic differences among populations remained  apparent in shade leaves.
 5. We conclude that, in agreement with our working hypothesis, canopy  plasticity is both cause and consequence of the environment experienced  by the plant and might lead to the differential expression of genetic  polymorphisms among leaves. Furthermore, we propose that it can  contribute to buffer abiotic stress and to the partition of light use  within the tree crown." (de Casas et al. 2011:1)
  Learn more about this functional adaptation.

Excretions provide antimicrobial protection: olive trees
 

Olive trees protect themselves from microbes using antimicrobial excretions.

   
  "Other models for antimicrobial excretions include olive trees, biscuit roots, lichen, and fungal-tending ants." (Biomimicry Guild unpublished report)
  Learn more about this functional adaptation.

The following is a representative barcode sequence, the centroid of all available sequences for this species.


No available public DNA sequences.

Download FASTA File

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 1
Specimens with Barcodes: 1
Species With Barcodes: 1

The following is a representative barcode sequence, the centroid of all available sequences for this species.


No available public DNA sequences.

Download FASTA File

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 5
Specimens with Barcodes: 13
Species With Barcodes: 1

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: NNA - Not Applicable

Rounded Global Status Rank: GNR - Not Yet Ranked

These species are introduced in Switzerland.

firewood; building; tools; food

food

tools

building

firewood

Origin probably in Asia Minor. Cultivated since ancient times throughout the Mediterranean region, now spread over the subtropical regions of the entire globe. Frequently grafted on Olea ferruginea. Many varieties of the Olive tree have been developed and are grown, for fruit only. The olives yield a highly priced edible oil which can be stored for a couple of months without becoming rancid. Olives as a whole or without stone can be used for pickles. The bitter astringent taste is removed by treatment with sodium hydroxide and salt solutions.

Earlier introductions grew well in Pakistan but gave hardly any fruit, as most of the varieties are self-sterile and no proper pollinator was present. Recently different varieties have been planted together with some proper pollinators, and the results are quite satisfactory. There is hope now that the cultivation of the olive tree will spread all over the northern regions of Pakistan in the near future.

The fruit are used for oil and food.