Page 34 - Edible Trees For Tucson

Olive

Olea europaea Oleaceae

D ESCRIPTI O N
Olive trees may be erect or shrubby in nature
depending on early pruning; they are medium
height, with an uneven, rounded, dense crown.
Trees are evergreen with leaves persisting on the
tree for two to three years. Leaves are simple,
entire, lanceolate to elliptic, with smooth margins
and a distinctive central vein. They are grey-green
in color, with a waxy covering adapted to dry
conditions. Flowers are borne on inflorescences
of year-old wood. They produce small fruit with a
single seed that may pressed for oil or consumed
after pickling. Olive fruit are small and round to
elliptoid with a single seed.
E THN O B O T ANI CAL N O TES

• Originated in the Mediterranean region.
• Olive stones found in archaeological sites
from 9000 BCE, but cultivation did not
occur until 3000-4000 BCE.
• Olive cultivation and oil extraction were
well established in ancient Greece; the trees
and oil techniques spread with the Romans.
• Olive trees disseminated to the Americas
during the Columbian Exchange. Spanish
missionaries brought them to Mexico,
California and the U.S. Southwest.

P L ANTIN G N O TES
Natural growth form tends to be tight, with
multiple trunks originating from the base. Olive
trees must be trained through pruning to form a
tree.
34