Olea europaea

Common Names

Olive, Olive Tree, European Olive, Common Olive

Summary

Olive tree is an evergreen native to the Mediterranean, with a gnarled trunk and narrow, silvery-green leaves. It grows slowly with a broad crown and bears small white flowers in spring; fruits are olives that mature from green to purple-black and can be eaten as table olives or pressed for oil. It is drought-tolerant once established and long-lived, typically reaching 8–15 m in height.

It requires full sun and well-drained soil, tolerates drought and a wide pH range (5.5–8.5), and prefers deep, infrequent watering to avoid waterlogging. In cultivation it is hardy in USDA zones 8–11 and can be grown outdoors or in containers; propagation is mostly by cuttings or grafting, and cross-pollination can boost yields. Olives are used for oil and edible fruit, with oil yield around 20–30% of fruit weight, and curing is required to eat the fruit; pests to watch include olive fruit fly and scale, with verticillium wilt noted as a disease.

Lifecycle

Perennial

Height

20-50 feet

Spread

20-30 ft

Hardiness Zones

Zones 8-11

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally full sun.

Soil Type

Well-drained, deep soil, pH 5.5–8.5

Soil Drainage

Well-drained, free-draining soil; avoid waterlogged soils.

Soil pH

5.5–7.5 (most favourable)

Bloom Color

White

Bloom Time

Spring

Foliage Color

Silvery-green

Fall Foliage Color

No fall color; evergreen

Leaf Lifecycle

Evergreen broadleaf

Growth Rate

Very slow growth.

Seasons of Interest

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter

Propagation Methods

Seeds, Cuttings, Layering, Grafting, Budding, Suckers, In vitro propagation

Attracts Wildlife

Attracts birds